Addressing Tehran’s Friday prayers worshipers prior to the delivery of the sermons, the Intelligence Minister Seyed Mahmoud Alavi gave an account of some of major measures taken by Iran’s Intelligence Ministry against Takfiri terrorists in the region in addition to foiling bombing plots over the period of his term.
Boasting the Ministry’s awareness of all moves carried out by terrorists, Alavi asserted that Iran’s intelligence gathering bears no blind spot.
He elaborated on the policy of the ministry in making the public feel safe and the terrorists feel insecure, in line with a discipline derived from Holy Quran.
Alavi stressed the Islamic principle of uplifting general public and added that there would be no thriving without happiness and serenity.
The Iranian Minister shouldered the responsibility that it is up to the Ministry to provide the society with security and justice needed for development and prosperity in economic, academic and cultural fields and reassured the nation that Iran’s Intelligence services have paved the way for a bright future.
Alavi also asked Iranian citizens to report any case of extortion in which some criminals claim to be an intelligence agent to swindle people out of their money and warned people of those who try to distort the Ministry’s reputation.
Referring to his last speech behind the same tribune, Alavi stated that tens of terrorist plots have been foiled since then and all the involved have been tried and punished. The first instances according to the intelligence minister have been arrest of suicide bombers who had intended to attack anti-Israeli Quds Day rallies in Shiraz and Zahedan last summer.
The official pointed to the case of Iranian fencing champion who was kidnapped in southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan and explained that after freeing the abducted champion and arrest of kidnappers, they had confessed to bombing plots in religious venues in northeastern cpital city of Razavi Khorasan Province Mashhad where all explosive devices were found and defused.
Alavi recounted the mission in which Abdolra’ouf Rigi - the brother of formerly executed leader of Pakistan-based terrorist group Jundullah Abdolmalek Rigi - was killed along with their brother-in-law. Between 2003 and 2009, Jundullah members masterminded more than fifty terrorist operations, including mass murder, hostage takings, bombings, raids, car thefts, and other acts of sabotage against civilians and the government.
He also recounted the arrest of the assassinators of Mamousta Mohammad Sheikh-ul Islam the Sunni representative of Kurdistan province of Iran in the Assembly of Experts who killed the Sunni cleric to divide the Shia-Sunni ties in Iran as another achievement by the intelligence agents.
Detention of a Takfiri terrorist group trying to poison a gathering of Ashura procession in Tehran in last autumn and a second Takfiri group affiliated with ISIL plotting to plant bombs in Tehran and Qom were further accomplishments the minister informed the public of.
Further Alavi hailed the successive track and arrest of Takfiris by Iran’s Intelligence Ministry and assured that despite cross-regional support that Takfiris enjoy, they would never find a void to disrupt Iran’s security.
In addition, the intelligence minister pointed to the other plots defused including Ansarolforghan group headed by Hesham Azizi, who had recruited staff across some provinces and were ready to plant bombs in numerous places, as well as the arrest of another team who had killed some Basij members and several teachers in Sistan and Baluchestan Province while having 350 kg of explosives in their haven.
He also highlighted that the terrorists who killed some police staff in Khuzestan Province on April 2, were tracked and arrested within 10 days.
Touching upon the case of Sergeant Danaeefar being taken hostage in Sistan and Baluchestan Province from a post at border with Pakistan in early 2014, the top Intelligence official recounted how his staff took the initiative in all stages of the incident and finally returned the corpse of killed man home.
Pointing to the incident of an Iranian diplomat with no military training who was kidnapped in Yemen, he called it a heroic deed of intelligence agents of Iran to free him in such a complicated mayhem as a small portion of all the anti-terrorist operations carried out by Iran’s Intelligence Ministry and reassured the Iranians that the Ministry protects the security and calmness of the country against all the plots funded by cross-regional powers.