Latest news with #IranianPolice
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iran arrested 21,000 'suspects' over fears of Israel collaboration during war, state media says
Following the war, Iranian security forces launched a campaign of widespread arrests, increasing street presence with checkpoints and encouraging citizens to report suspicious activity. Iranian police arrested as many as 21,000 "suspects" during the country's 12-day war with Israel in June, a law enforcement spokesperson said on Tuesday, according to state media. Following Israeli airstrikes that began on June 13, Iranian security forces began a campaign of widespread arrests accompanied by an intensified street presence based around checkpoints and "public reports" whereby citizens were called upon to report on any individuals they thought were acting suspiciously. "There was a 41% increase in calls by the public, which led to the arrest of 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war," police spokesperson Saeid Montazerolmahdi said. He did not say what those arrested were suspected of, but Tehran has spoken before of people passing on information that may have helped direct the Israeli attacks. The Israel-Iran conflict has also led to an accelerated rate of deportations for Afghan migrants believed to be illegally in Iran, with aid agencies reporting that local authorities had also accused some Afghan nationals of spying for Israel. "Law enforcement rounded up 2,774 illegal migrants and discovered 30 special security cases by examining their phones. 261 suspects of espionage and 172 people accused of unauthorized filming were also arrested," the spokesperson added. Undeclared number of prisoners yet to be released Montazerolmahdi did not specify how many of those arrested had since been released. He added that Iran's police handled more than 5,700 cases of cyber crimes such as online fraud and unauthorized withdrawals during the war, which he said had turned "cyberspace into an important battlefront."
LBCI
6 days ago
- Politics
- LBCI
Iran says it arrested 21,000 'suspects' during the 12-day war with Israel
Iranian police arrested as many as 21,000 "suspects" during the country's 12-day war with Israel in June, a law enforcement spokesperson said on Tuesday, according to state media. Following Israeli air strikes that began on June 13, Iranian security forces began a campaign of widespread arrests accompanied by an intensified street presence based around checkpoints and "public reports" whereby citizens were called upon to report on any individuals they thought were acting suspiciously. "There was a 41% increase in calls by the public, which led to the arrest of 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war," police spokesperson Saeid Montazerolmahdi said. He did not say what those arrested were suspected of, but Tehran has spoken before of people passing on information that may have helped direct the Israeli attacks. The Israel-Iran conflict has also led to an accelerated rate of deportations for Afghan migrants believed to be illegally in Iran, with aid agencies reporting that local authorities had also accused some Afghan nationals of spying for Israel. "Law enforcement rounded up 2,774 illegal migrants and discovered 30 special security cases by examining their phones. 261 suspects of espionage and 172 people accused of unauthorized filming were also arrested," the spokesperson added.
Telegraph
7 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Iran detained 21,000 people during 12-day war with Israel
Iran detained 21,000 people during its 12-day war with Israel in June, the regime has revealed. Iran has not previously acknowledged the scale of the mass arrests, which came amid fears that Iranian society had been infiltrated by Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency. Gen Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi, a spokesman for the Iranian police, said the suspects were reported via tip-offs to authorities after a near nationwide internet blackout was imposed during the war. He told state television: 'The arrest of 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war indicated high awareness and participation of people in providing security.' While he did not elaborate on what charges the suspects might face, he said more than 261 were suspected of spying and another 172 were arrested on suspicion of illegal filming. He also revealed police established more than 1,000 checkpoints and deployed 40,000 police officers for round-the-clock security during the war, which began after Israel's pre-emptive attacks on the morning of June 13. The wave of air strikes killed nearly 1,100 people in Iran, including the army's chief of staff and several high-level military commanders and top nuclear scientists. Retaliatory Iranian strikes killed 32 people in Israel. The latest arrest figures contradict those released by the country's top legal authority. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, Iran's judiciary chief, recently claimed around '2,000 people' were arrested during and after the conflict, some of whom face the death penalty on charges of 'organisational collaboration with the enemy'. Speaking to state TV last month, he said: 'In our law, anyone who co-operates with a hostile state during wartime must be arrested and prosecuted.' Some have since been released, including dozens from the country's Jewish community and minorities regularly persecuted such as the Kurd and Bahai populations. The judiciary chief said some detainees remain on bail and trials are being fast-tracked. The mass detentions have sparked alarm among human rights experts who fear Iran will use the war as the chance to continue its execution spree. Oslo-based NGO Iran Human Rights said 21 people were executed during the June conflict, including six accused of spying for Israel. The Islamic Republic has one of the world's highest execution rates. In April, human rights group Amnesty International said Iran accounted for 64 per cent of all known global executions last year, with at least 972 people executed, branding it part of an ongoing campaign of mass suppression of dissent.
News24
7 days ago
- Politics
- News24
Iran says it arrested 21 000 'suspects' during 12-day war with Israel
Iranian police arrested as many as 21 000 'suspects' during the country's 12-day war with Israel in June, a law enforcement spokesperson said on Tuesday, according to state media. Following Israeli air strikes that began on 13 June, Iranian security forces began a campaign of widespread arrests accompanied by an intensified street presence based around checkpoints and 'public reports', where citizens were called upon to report on any people they thought were acting suspiciously. 'There was a 41% increase in calls by the public, which led to the arrest of 21 000 suspects during the 12-day war,' police spokesperson Saeid Montazerolmahdi said. He did not say what those arrested were suspected of, but Tehran has spoken before of people passing on information that may have helped direct the Israeli attacks. The Israel-Iran conflict has also led to an accelerated rate of deportations for Afghan migrants believed to be illegally in Iran, with aid agencies reporting that local authorities had also accused some Afghan nationals of spying for Israel. 'Law enforcement rounded up 2 774 illegal migrants and discovered 30 special security cases by examining their phones. Two hundred sixty-one suspects of espionage and 172 people accused of unauthorised filming were also arrested,' the spokesperson added. Montazerolmahdi did not specify how many of those arrested had since been released. He added that Iran's police handled more than 5 700 cases of cybercrimes such as online fraud and unauthorised withdrawals during the war, which he said had turned 'cyberspace into an important battlefront'.
Al Jazeera
7 days ago
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Iran says it arrested 21,000 ‘suspects' during 12-day war with Israel-US
Iranian police arrested as many as 21,000 'suspects' during the country's 12-day conflict with Israel and the United States in June, according to state media citing a law enforcement spokesperson. Following massive Israeli air strikes that began on June 13, which killed top military officials and scientists as well as hundreds of civilians, Iranian security forces began a campaign of widespread arrests accompanied by an intensified street presence based around checkpoints and 'public reports'. The US also carried out extensive strikes on Iranian nuclear sites during the conflict on Israel's behalf. Iranian citizens were called upon to report on any individuals they thought were acting suspiciously. 'There was a 41 percent increase in calls by the public, which led to the arrest of 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war,' police spokesperson Saeid Montazerolmahdi said. He did not say what those arrested were suspected of, but Tehran has spoken before of people passing on information that may have helped direct the Israeli attacks. Since the end of June, Iran has executed seven men convicted of spying for Israel. Deportations of Afghans The Israel-US-Iran conflict has also led to an accelerated rate of deportations for Afghan refugees and migrants believed to be illegally in Iran, with aid agencies reporting that local authorities have also accused some Afghan nationals of spying for Israel. 'Law enforcement rounded up 2,774 illegal migrants and discovered 30 special security cases by examining their phones. [A total] 261 suspects of espionage and 172 people accused of unauthorised filming were also arrested,' the spokesperson added. Montazerolmahdi did not specify how many of those arrested had since been released. He added that Iran's police handled more than 5,700 cases of cybercrimes such as online fraud and unauthorised withdrawals during the war, which he said had turned 'cyberspace into an important battlefront'.
