TEHRAN – The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) in Pardis County announced that an armed cell affiliated with the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) terrorist Organization has been dismantled following an intelligence operation carried out by the IRGC’s security units.

The group had been involved in a series of anti-security activities across Tehran and Alborz provinces. IRGC officials said the cell was broken up in Pardis after sustained intelligence surveillance and monitoring.

The statement added that members of the network had carried out attacks on more than 10 government, security, and military facilities in the two provinces. They were detained in Pardis after IRGC intelligence officers tracked their movements and identified their organizational links.

Officials said the individuals had recently been attempting to acquire materials to produce improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for planned attacks targeting civilians and disrupting public security. IRGC intelligence units reportedly foiled the plot through timely intervention.

Pardis County, home to more than 500,000 people, lies to the east of Tehran.

The MEK has been active since the 1980s. The group has killed at least 17,000 Iranians in terrorist attacks. It has also backed foreign aggressions against Iran, including Saddam Hussein’s invasion in the 1980s and Israel’s recent war that occurred in June.

A trial in Iran is currently underway to expose the full extent of the terrorist group’s atrocities, with victims' families present to testify.  Kidnapping, torture and detonating bombs in public places, which represent only a fraction of the group's terrorist activities, have been the focus of the hearings so far.

Intelligence reports show the group receives financial and political backing from a number of Western countries, including the U.S., France, Germany, and the UK. Israel has also become a big sponsor of the MEK in recent years. The terror outfit is, meanwhile, notorious for torturing, imprisoning, and killing its own members, with defectors describing the organization as a “murderous cult.”