Iran’s IRGC Says Arrested 7 Leaders of Group Linked With UK Intelligence
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC)
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Sunday that it identified and arrested seven leaders of a group allegedly involved in subversive activities and linked with UK secret services during recent mass protests in the country. “An organized group called Zagros, which was led by agents from the UK and created a team of active counterrevolutionary elements inside and outside the country to lead subversive activities, especially during recent protests, has been identified as a result of a successful operation,” the IRGC said in a statement, as quoted by the Iranian media.The IRGC noted that it arrested seven leaders of the group in the province of Kerman and identified their contacts with foreign agents. Violent riots broke out in Iran in mid-September in connection with the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who passed away while in police custody after being detained for wearing an “improper” hijab. Many Iranian citizens accused the controversial morality police of Amini’s death, alleging that officers hit her in the head during questioning. Protests turned violent in their 2.5-month course, with rioters attacking clerics, abbots of Iranian mosques, members of Iran’s security and major military structures. In addition, two terrorist attacks took place in the country in late October and early November, with attackers shelling groups of civilians and police officers. Tehran believes the unrest has been instigated from abroad. Iranian law enforcement agencies have been carrying out mass arrests of people suspected of having been recruited by the intelligence services of Western countries, Israel and Saudi Arabia.
