Iran arrests 16 in connection with alleged US-Israel-linked cells: What to know
Iran claimed that some of the 16 people it had arrested had entered Iran from abroad.
Iranian authorities said Thursday they had arrested 16 people accused of belonging to four “terrorist cells” linked to the US and Israel in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan.
According to semiofficial Iranian news outlets, the provincial intelligence department said the arrests followed intelligence gathered via surveillance and tips provided by the public. Some of the 16 people had entered Iran from abroad, it said.
Iranian officials have frequently accused opposition groups of receiving US or Israeli support, allegations that are often not accompanied by publicly available evidence.
Authorities alleged that some of those arrested were involved in the killing of police officers in the city of Iranshahr. The suspects were transferred to judicial authorities, the department said.
