Mastermind behind Tehran twin attacks killed abroad: Iran

The Iranian Intelligence Ministry has announced that the mastermind behind the Tehran terrorist attacks has been killed.

During a televised interview on Saturday, Iranian Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said that the terrorist commander was killed earlier in the day by intelligence forces.

He noted that the terrorist had fled the country following the ensuing security operations after the attack, but was killed with the cooperation of friendly foreign intelligence services.

At least 17 people were killed and 52 others injured in Tehran on Wednesday when gunmen mounted almost simultaneous assaults on Iran’s Parliament and the Mausoleum of the late founder of the Islamic Republic, Imam Khomeini. The Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attacks.

After offering condolences to the families of the attacks victims, Alavi stressed that over the past few months the country’s intelligence forces had neutralized over 25 terrorist cells.

He added that the large number of terrorist operations thwarted by Iran had pushed the terrorists into engaging in the Wednesday attacks.

Alavi also noted that in a recent intelligence raid a large amount of automatic weapons and grenade launchers were obtained from a terrorist group.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Police chief Hossein Ashtari has announced that a group of some 60 suspects has also been detained near Tehran in relation to the terrorist attacks.

Earlier, authorities reported the arrest of eight suspects in the country’s Alborz province, all of whom with ties to the recent attacks.