[ad_1]
The Iranian intelligence minister said that a number of suspects had been arrested in connection with Saturday's gun attack at a military parade in Ahvaz.
Mahmoud Alavi said that a "large part of the network" behind the attack, which had killed 25 people, had been captured.
He was speaking at a funeral ceremony for the victims assisted by thousands of people.
The deputy head of the Revolutionary Guards, meanwhile, warned the United States and Israel to wait for a "devastating" response, accusing them of their involvement.
The Iranian president said Sunday that the gunmen were armed by a Gulf state allied to the United States. The United States condemned the incident and denied any responsibility.
The ethnic Arab separatists and the Islamic State group (IS) have issued competing claims that they have led the attack, the deadliest in Iran for nearly a decade.
What happened on Saturday?
The parade in Ahvaz – the capital of the border province of Khuzestan in the southwest – marked the anniversary of the beginning of the war between Iran and Iraq in 1980-88.
Four armed men in military uniform opened fire on soldiers taking part in the event, passers-by and a viewing booth for the officials.
At least eight of those killed were Revolutionary Guards. Women, children and a disabled veteran were also among the victims, officials said.
On Monday, thousands of people gathered in front of the Sarallah Mosque in the center of Ahvaz to attend their funeral.
The coffins were draped in Iranian flags and people in mourning carried pictures of those who had been killed, as well as banners saying "we will go to the end" and "no to terrorism".
Who was behind the attack?
Speaking at the funeral, Alavi said that Ministry of Intelligence agents and other security personnel would catch all those related to the attack, adding that a majority was already in detention.
"We will punish every terrorist for their actions," he swore.
The minister did not provide any other details, but other Iranian officials said that they thought the gunmen had links to an "Ahvazi terrorist group."
A spokesman for the national resistance al-Ahwaz, a defense movement of Arab separatist groups fighting for independence in Khuzestan province, said he led the attack. But one of the separatist groups, the Ahwazi Democratic People's Front, denied any involvement.
IS also claimed the shots and posted a video showing three of the gunmen being led to the military parade in a car.
The men appear to be dressed in Revolutionary Guards uniforms and talk about the importance of jihad. However, none of them claimed to be a member of IS or committed to the leader of the group, Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi – something that is common in these videos before the attack.
How did Iran threaten to respond?
The deputy chief of the Revolutionary Guards accused Saudi Arabia, Israel and the United States of organizing the attack and promised that they would suffer repercussions.
Brigadier General Hossein Salami said in a speech at Monday's funeral: "You have seen our revenge before … we promise you that our response will be overwhelming and devastating and you will regret what you have done."
- Why Saudi Arabia and Iran are bitter rivals
- Iran and Saudi Arabia: Who is with whom
US Permanent Representative to the UN Nikki Haley said on Sunday that he "condemns any terrorist attack" and that the Iranian president should "look in the mirror" rather than blame his country.
The Saudi and Israeli governments did not react immediately.
[ad_2]Source link