Wreckage of Iran Police Aviation Rockwell 690 Turbo Commander

Wreckage of Islamic Republic of Iran Police Force (IRIPF) Aviation Rockwell 690 Turbo Commander, dated 12OCT14 near Zahedan.

Images published by Mehr News Agency depict remains of forward fuselage section

Image provided by Mashregh News of broken-off right wing section, in a residential setting

 

File photo of Islamic Republic of Iran Police Force (IRIPF) Aviation Rockwell 690 Turbo Commander (photo: Taha Ashoori).

Funeral Procession in Zahedan

The funeral procession of the victims of the suicide bombings.

Zahedan, Saturday 17 July 2010.

Photos by Fars News Agency’s Ali Azimzadeh

Zahedan Tragedy in Pictures

The photos of the bombing scene by IRNA.

The photos of the two suicide bombers published by Jundallah on its website: Abdelbasset Rigi and Mohammad Rigi.

Blasts in Baluchistan Kill 27, Many Injured- UPDATE

Two powerful explosions, believed to be suicide bombings, killed at least 27 people and injured 275 more in Zahedan, the capital of Iran’s Baluchistan. The Sunni Baluch militant group Jundallah took responsibility for the blasts.

The first bomb went off at the city’s Grand Mosque at 920pm local time on Thursday. The second blast went off at the same place within minutes of the first blast.

Jundallah, whose leader was executed in Tehran last month, said the blasts targeted IRGC officers gathered at the mosque to celebrate the birthday of Shia’s revered Imam Hussein. No independent report on IRGC casualty was available.

UPDATE: The two powerful explosions at Zahedan’s Grand Mosque were the result of suicide bombings. Jundallah, which took the responsibility for the bombings, has identified the two suicide bombers believed to be among the dead as Mohammad Rigi and Mojahed Abdelbaset. Jundallah referred to Rigi and Abdelbaset as teenagers, without disclosing their age. There was no information about any possible family ties between Mohammad Rigi and Junadalla’s former leader Abdelrahman Rigi who was executed in Tehran last month.

The blasts left 27 dead, and more than 300 injured. 11 of the injuries have been described as critical and life threatening. 137 of the injured have already been released from hospitals.

The suicide bombings happened when pilgrims had filled the Grand Mosque to capacity in observation of the birthday of Imam Hussein and the Pasdar (“IRGC”) Day. There are reports of casualties among IRGC officers who were in attendance to observe the Pasdar Day.

UPDATE: In the aftermath of the deadly suicide bombings in Zahedan, the city’s representative in Majlis, the Iranian parliament, resigned his post in protest to what he called the government’s inability and unwillingness to protect his constituents. Dr. Hussein Ali Shahriari, the Zahedan deputy and the chairman of Majlis public health committee, said in his resignation letter that he had warned the security officials many times that a terrorist attack was inevitable, with Rigis wanting to prove their continued existence, but no heightened security measures were taken, resulting in the tragedy that left 27 people killed and hundreds injured.

four terrorists arrested in Zahedan

Courtesy of Press TV

Iran's Intelligence Minister today has stated that four terrorists have been arrested, they belong to Abdolmalek Rigi's group Jundullah whom have carried out terrorist attacks against Iranian citizens before and have also claimed responsibility for the bombing of a mosque in Zahedan last May which killed over 20 people!

Bomb Kills 20, Wounds 80 in Zahedan

Bomb Explosion Destroyed Parts of

Shia Mosque in Zahedan, Leaving 20 Dead, 80 Injured

ILNA Photo. 28 May 2009

An explosion at Ali Ibn Abitaleb Mosque in the southeast Iranian city of Zahedan killed at least 20 people and wounded 80. Some of the wounded are in critical condition. The explosion occurred at 1945 local time (1500 GMT) on Thursday evening during the evening prayer. Large parts of the Shia mosque were also destroyed [ILNA].

At 2300 local time, the governor of Sistan and Baluchistan (Zahedan is its provincial capital) told reporters that the police has arrested the people involved in the bombing. He did not identify the attackers, either by name or affiliation.

The majority in the restive Sistan and Baluchistan province belong to the Sunni branch of Islam. Destruction of a prominent Shia mosque in the region’s major city will add to the growing tensions there.

UPDATE 1: Iran accused US of orchestrating the attack. The US government denied the accusation.

UPDATE 2: On Friday 29 May, gunmen attacked President Ahmadinejad's reelection campaign offices in Zahedan, wounding three people. Gunmen on motorcycles opened fire at the offices at around 1900 local time (1430 GMT).

UPDATE 3: Three men were hanged in public in Zahedan on Saturday morning 30 May after being convicted for their involvement in the bombing. The arrests, trials, conviction and execution took place within two working days, raising serious questions about the accuracy and the fairness of the trials.