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Soldier arrested in Iran after inside attack killing 5 troops in Kerman

The latest incident involves the killing of five soldiers by a fellow conscript in Kerman, which was the scene of a deadly bombing claimed by ISIS earlier this month.

Iranian mourners gather during the funeral ceremony of yesterday's explosion, Kerman, Iran, Jan. 5, 2024.
Iranian mourners gather during the funeral ceremony of yesterday's explosion, Kerman, Iran, Jan. 5, 2024. — AMIR MORADI/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

An Iranian soldier who killed five fellow soldiers in Iran’s southeastern city of Kerman was arrested on Monday, Iranian media reported.

The conscript, who was not identified, was apprehended in the vicinity of the city of Zarand, near Kerman, the commander of the Iranian army’s Southeastern Regional headquarters, Brig. Gen. Amir Gholamalian, was cited by the official IRNA news agency as saying.

On Sunday, the suspect arrived at a barracks dormitory at a military base in Kerman and opened fire at the resting soldiers, killing five of them, before fleeing the scene, Gholamalian IRNA.

Gholamalian said an investigation was launched to determine the motive behind the attack.

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