TEHRAN - Iran's judiciary chief said on Monday that a significant number of individuals involved in the recent terrorist attack in Kerman have been apprehended.

Speaking at a meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei stressed that the arrests were made possible thanks to the combined efforts of various agencies, including the Intelligence Ministry.

In mid-January, the Iranian Intelligence Ministry issued a statement, saying that the Anonymous Soldiers had arrested several ISIS terrorist group leaders, foiled a planned attack on a police station, and neutralized two terrorists.

The phrase Anonymous Soldiers refers to Iran's intelligence forces. 

According to a statement by the Ministry of Intelligence, these two terrorists were planning to carry out another operation in Iran. 

The ministry stated that the arrested terrorist elements have been transferred to detention centers for further investigation.

"Two Takfiri terrorists, who had entered the country a few days after the criminal incident in Kerman to conduct another operation, were surrounded and killed by the Anonymous Soldiers in the Kerman Province," the ministry said. 

"This operation successfully disrupted a two-stage and dangerous scenario of an attack on one of the police centers," the statement added.

Also, five days after the terrorist attack in Kerman, Ejei stressed the urgency and diligence needed to identify and apprehend those responsible for the recent crime in Kerman city.

Mohseni Ejei made the remarks during a meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council on Monday. He urged immediate steps to fast-track the cases and ensure a prompt delivery of justice.

In the meeting, Ejei expressed condolences for the terrorist incident in Kerman and claimed that the perpetrators are supported by the United States and the Zionist regime of Israel.

On 3 January 2024, a commemorative ceremony marking the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani at his grave in eastern Kerman, Iran, was attacked by two bomb explosions. The attacks killed at least 94 people.