00:00 In a significant development, Iran's intelligence ministry has identified a key suspect believed
00:09 to be the ringleader and bomb-maker behind the twin suicide bombings that occurred last
00:14 week.
00:15 The death toll has now climbed to at least 94, making it the deadliest attack in Iran
00:21 in decades.
00:22 The January 3 attack targeted a commemoration for Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, who was
00:28 slain in a 2020 US drone strike in Iraq.
00:32 The first bomber detonated his explosives at the ceremony in Karman, while the second
00:37 attacked 20 minutes later as emergency workers and others were aiding the wounded.
00:43 The official IRNA news agency reported that the main suspect identified by the intelligence
00:49 ministry is a Tajik national known by the alias Abdullah Tajiki.
00:53 According to the agency, Tajiki entered Iran in mid-December, crossed the south-east border
01:00 and left the country just two days before the attack after assembling the explosive
01:05 devices.
01:06 Furthermore, one of the bombers has been identified as a 24-year-old man with Tajik and Israeli
01:12 nationality bearing the family name Bozrov.
01:15 According to reports, he arrived in Iran after months of training by the Islamic State group
01:21 in Afghanistan.
01:22 Reports also mention ongoing efforts to identify the second suicide bomber, with the Islamic
01:29 State group claiming them to be Omar al-Muahid and Saif Allah al-Mujahid.
01:34 In response to the attacks, Iran authorities have made significant progress in their investigations.
01:40 They have arrested 35 individuals across several provinces with alleged links to the bombings.
01:47 Meanwhile, the death toll from the attack has risen to 94, with 14 of the victims identified
01:53 as Afghan nationals who were participating in the commemoration for General Qasim Soleimani,
01:59 the leader of the Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force.
02:01 -
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