Iran has announced the main suspect’s name in the case of the bomb attacks near Soleimani’s tomb

Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence announced on Thursday the name of a key suspect described as the leader and mastermind of the suicide bomb attacks from last week, claimed by the Islamic State group, reports AP. Meanwhile, the death toll has risen to at least 94, according to Iranian media. The January 3 attack, where two suicide bombers targeted the memorial ceremony for Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, killed by the U.S. in a drone strike in Iraq in 2020, was the deadliest in Iran in recent decades, as the situation in the Middle East remains on a knife’s edge.

The first attacker detonated near the ceremony venue in the city of Kerman, about 820 kilometers southeast of the capital Tehran. The second blew himself up 20 minutes later as emergency personnel and others were assisting the injured after the initial explosion.

The official news agency IRNA broadcast a statement from the Ministry of Intelligence, stating that the main suspect and the one who planned the bombing is a Tajik citizen known by the alias Abdollah Tadjiki.

According to IRNA, the suspect entered the country in mid-December through southeastern Iran and left two days before the attack after assembling the bombs.

At the same time, the last name of one of the bombers was revealed – a 24-year-old named Bozrov, who reportedly holds Tajik and Israeli citizenship. He allegedly entered Iran from Afghanistan after several months of training.

The Iranian official press also reported that authorities are trying to identify the second suicide bomber. In the statement claiming responsibility for the attack, the Islamic State group identified the two attackers as Omar al-Mowahed and Seif-Allah al-Mujahed.

Iranian authorities have so far arrested 35 individuals from various provinces suspected of being linked to the attacks, according to the cited source.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the bombings rose to 94 on Thursday, up from the 91 victims reported on Sunday. Iranian media specified that 14 of the deceased were Afghan citizens participating in the commemoration of the death of General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds paramilitary force within the Revolutionary Guards Corps.