/Reuters/
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Iran says holds eight foreigners planning attacks
12 February 2017
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Iranian security forces have arrested eight hardline Sunni Islamists suspected of planning attacks to disrupt celebrations for Iran`s Islamic revolution in the past week, Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said on Saturday.
Alavi said the eight were "Takfiri" foreigners, some of whom were linked to a "Takfiri" leader who had been killed in Iran, IRNA reported. He did not give details of which countries they were from. "Takfiri" is a word used by predominantly Shi`ite Muslim Iran to refer to hardline, armed, Sunni Islamist groups. In August, Alavi said the leader of a Sunni militant group in southeast Iran responsible for attacks against security forces and civilian targets has been killed, although it was not immediately clear if he was person he suspected those arrested of being linked to. Although Alavi did not identify which country Iran suspected of guiding the suspects, Iranian officials often accuse regional rival Saudi Arabia of backing ultrahardline Sunni militant group Islamic State. Riyadh denies the charges and says Tehran destabilizes the region and sponsors terrorism, an accusation rejected by Iran.
/Reuters/
/Reuters/
