TEHRAN, Feb 19: Iran executed the bomber at the site of his attack which killed several members of an elite military corps, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported on Monday.
The report said the government hanged Nasrollah Shanbe Zehi in public in Zahedan, capital of Sistan-Baluchestan province, a day after a revolutionary court convicted him for last week’s bombing that killed 11 members of the Revolutionary Guards.
The attack occurred when a car packed with explosives pulled to a stop in front of a bus carrying members of the Revolutionary Guard to their posts. Zehi, who was arrested a few hours after the bombing in Zahedan, was also convicted of the deaths of four policemen and two civilians and a bank robbery, all of which occurred separately.
The militant group called Jundallah, or God’s Brigade, which has been blamed for past attacks on Iranian troops, has claimed responsibility for last week’s bombing. IRNA quoted an unnamed “responsible official” as saying on Friday that Zehi confessed that the attacks were part of US plans to provoke ethnic and religious violence in Iran.
Iranian state media has previously alleged US plots to foment sectarian strife, especially in the multiethnic southeast. The area, near Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long been plagued by lawlessness. It is believed to be a key crossing point for drugs from Afghanistan and Iranian media frequently reports clashes there.—AP
