Iranian police have killed a member of a three-man armed group identified as one of the main perpetrators of an attack on police officers in Iranshahr, in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, and arrested two other members.
The operation was conducted by special police units in southern Sistan and Baluchestan following intelligence monitoring and efforts to track the activities of armed individuals, Brigadier General Mohammad-Reza Es'haqi, the provincial police chief reported on Wednesday.
Es'haqi explained that officers had identified “a three-member cell of armed individuals with criminal records” following intelligence surveillance and investigations.
The group members “resisted and opened fire on police officers when confronted,” prompting a response from security forces, he added.
“During the armed confrontation, one of the criminals, who was among the main perpetrators of the shooting at police officers in Iranshahr, was killed, and the two other suspects were arrested,” Es'haqi announced.
The police chief further disclosed that one of the arrested individuals had two previous convictions for homicide and was wanted by judicial authorities.
Officers also seized a military-grade Colt handgun, its ammunition and two stolen Peugeot passenger cars, according to Es'haqi.
The operation follows an October 5 attack on a police patrol along the Bampour-Iranshahr road, in which Second Lieutenant Amirhossein Qasemi and First Sergeant Nezam Dastgoshadeh were martyred and another officer was wounded.
The latest operation follows a series of counterterrorism measures in Sistan and Baluchestan, a southeastern province that has experienced armed attacks targeting security forces and other officials in recent weeks.
On October 29, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry announced that its forces had dismantled four armed cells in the province and arrested 16 members, while detaining three others for transmitting information about security and defense facilities to US-Israeli espionage networks.
The ministry’s provincial intelligence directorate reported that the cells had been identified “with the help of reports from the public, continuous intelligence and operational surveillance,” adding that some of those arrested had entered Iran from abroad.
It also stated that “a number of the arrested terrorists were responsible for the martyrdom of security personnel in Iranshahr County,” while security forces seized nine Kalashnikov rifles, two US-made M4 rifles and seven handguns.
On October 27, Iranian security forces arrested several members of the so-called Jaish al-Adl takfiri-terrorist group near Bampour during a pursuit operation, according to provincial officials.
Earlier, on October 21, police killed an armed individual in Khash County after occupants of two Peugeot vehicles opened fire on officers investigating suspicious activity.
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