Pakistani behind attack that killed 27 Iran Guards
SPREADING MENACE Another member of militant cell also a Pakistani citizen
GENEVA: THE man who carried out a suicide bombing which killed 27 members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards near the border with Pakistan last week was Pakistani, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander said on Tuesday, according to the Tasnim news agency. One other member of the cell that planned the attack was also a Pakistani citizen, the head of the Guards’ ground forces, Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour said.
GENEVA: The suicide bomber who killed 27 members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards near the border with Pakistan last week was a Pakistani national, Brig Gen Mohammad Pakpour of the Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday.
One more member of the cell, affiliated with the Jaish-al-adl terror group that planned the attack, was also a Pakistani, while another Pakistani supported the team from within Pakistan, he said. Pakpour identified the suicide attacker as Hafiz Muhammad Ali. Three members of the cell were Iranian nationals from Sistan-baluchestan province, he was quoted as saying by the Iranian media.
Two members of the cell, which was well equipped and planned to launch major attacks inside Iran, were arrested while one escaped, he added. Pakistanbased Jaish al-adl, an offshoot of Jundullah that has carried out dozens of terror attacks in Iran in recent years, claimed responsibility for the February 13 attack.
Tehran has repeatedly blamed Islamabad for sheltering terrorists connected with attacks in the border area, but Pakpour’s remarks appear to be the first time Tehran has said Pakistani citizens were directly involved in the latest attack. Iran also accuses Saudi Arabia of promoting violence among members of Iran’s Sunni Muslim minority. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia deny any role in attacks in Iran. The Jaish-al-adl seeks greater rights for Baluchis in eastern Iran.