TEHRAN – Iran’s intelligence ministry said on Tuesday it had smashed a terrorist cell in southern province of Fars, arresting 11 and confiscating explosives. 

“Security forces of the intelligence ministry, with cooperation of other security bodies and the people of Fars province, have foiled a criminal plot of terrorist takfiri groups and thwarted an unhuman crime during the Ashura rituals,” Mehr news agency quoted Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi as saying on Tuesday. 

Millions of Iranians take part in processions during Muharram to mark Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad. 

A number of the terrorists have been arrested and more than 1oo kilograms of explosives and other equipment seized, according to Alavi. 

Later details by provincial officials revealed that 11 members of the terrorist cell, all non-Iranians, had been arrested in Lar, to the south of Fars province, and other areas, where they had planned a series of suicide bombings in several places of the city during Ashura rituals. 

“Fortunately, all 11 members of the terrorist groups, who are all non-Iranian nationals, were arrested before they could cause any damage,” Jalil Hassani said, governor of Lar, on Tuesday.  

The terrorist cell had been watched by security forces, one official with Fars governor's office said, and any operation was delayed until after all members had been identified. 

“Security forces were already watching a group who planned bombings inside Iran and in southern Fars, a province with a special population fabric, but we wanted to identify them first,” said Hadi Pezhouhesh.

Southern areas of Fars have a Sunni population, ostensibly a target for terrorists to trigger conflicts, the official explained, confirming the terrorists’ links to ISIS. 

Over the past months, Iranian security forces have reported arrests of dozens of ISIS fighters as well as other terrorist groups. 

In July, the Iranian intelligence ministry announced it had arrested members of a terrorist network who were planning suicide bombings in Tehran and other cities during Ramadan.  

AK/PA