TEHRAN – Iran has neutralized more terrorists connected to an Israeli-linked terror network whose kingpins reside in Denmark and the Netherlands.

The country announced that it had arrested a number of terrorists in several Iranian provinces in July. Iran’s Intelligence Ministry explained that 43 bombs were confiscated from the detainees who were planning to carry out operations in at least 6 Iranian provinces. That came after Iran declared the detention of 14 terrorists in May.

The string of arrests seems to have continued as Iran’s Intelligence Ministry on Wednesday announced it had discovered and taken into custody more members of the network. 

“Two fully armed terrorists carrying 382 handmade bombs and 65 ready-to-detonate explosives were arrested in Khuzestan,” said the ministry in a statement.  

“On August 23, a key member of the network was arrested in Mazandaran province. He has a history of carrying out sabotage attacks and had received two sound bombs from his commander in the Netherlands two weeks before getting arrested”. 

Iranian intelligence forces arrested another terrorist who had carried out deception operations in Kermanshah and sent the videos to Israeli agents in Sweden and Denmark. 

Three more members detained in Sistan-Baluchestan possessed bombs as well as various weapons, including rifles, SG-43 Goryunovs, and Rifle grenades. 

“One of the most staggering cases in the detentions belonged to a group of siblings who were planning to assassinate their own brother. The targeted brother apparently had serious drug addiction and was largely loathed by his family members. As he had got arrested twice last fall for committing various crimes, his siblings were planning to kill him and blame his death on security forces. They had got paid for the plot and were planning to portray their brother as a ‘heroic fighter’ who had got killed by police. They sought to execute their plans during the anniversary of last year’s riots,” added the Intelligence Ministry. 

One of the kingpins of the terror group is named Shahin Zahmatkesh, a rapper living in Denmark who dropped out of school at 17. Zahmatkesh’s parents were members of the Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) and his father was sentenced to death by an Iranian court in the 80s. 

The other key member leading the group of terrorists in Iran is Siamak Tadayon Tahmasbi, a former painter residing in the Netherlands. He got hired by the Israeli regime after he released some works insulting Islamic values. 

“The selected time period for carrying out operations in all revealed cases coincides with the anniversary of the 2022 riots,” highlighted the statement. “The diversity of terrorist groups and terror centers preparing to create chaos in the country is quite significant. From centers based in Germany, the Netherlands, and Denmark to Daesh elements based in Afghanistan (terrorists responsible for the Shah Cheragh attack) and gangs residing in Pakistan, all chose the same time frame to carry out their operations. This goes to show that all these terrorists are being led by the same force in Western countries and Israel”.