Iranian police have arrested three Islamic State group suspects for plotting attacks at the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, state media reported on Saturday.
Among those arrested in the city of Karaj in the northwest province of Alborz was Mohammed Zaker, identified as a “senior member” of the group, the Islamic Republic’s official news agency reported.
“Police in Alborz province arrested three members of the Islamic State group who were planning to launch a suicide attack at the end of Ramadan celebrations,” the Islamic Republic News Agency said.
It was unclear when the arrests took place or whether they included foreigners.
The Islamic News Agency also reported that eight “co-conspirators” were arrested, without elaborating.
Two suspected Islamic State members were arrested in the holy city of Qom, local media reported on Tuesday.
In January this year, IS claimed responsibility for two bombings in the southern Iranian city of Kerman, killing more than 90 people.
The attacks took place during a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the death of Qasem Soleimani, a top Revolutionary Guards general who was targeted in a 2020 U.S. drone strike Killed in Iraq.
Iran has been battling jihadist and other militant groups for years.
The number of “martyrs” killed in recent jihadist attacks near the Pakistani border has risen to 16, Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency reported on Saturday, all members of the security forces.
The death toll, one of the worst in years, included law enforcement officers, Guardsmen and members of the Basij military unit, the report said.
State media earlier reported that 10 security personnel and 18 members of the Jaish al-Adl jihadist group were killed in the clashes.
The Sunni Muslim rebel group Jaish al-Adl was founded in 2012 and is listed as a “terrorist” organization by Iran and the United States.
