The Islamic State assumes responsibility for the attack that caused more than 80 deaths in Iran

The Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility this Thursday for the attack in the Iranian city of Kerman that the day before left more than 80 dead and nearly 300 injured during a tribute to General Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated. four years ago in a US drone attack. The jihadist group made the announcement through a message on a Telegram channel that it uses to transmit propaganda, in which it assured that the two explosions that shook the massive gathering were caused by two suicide bombers.

“The two brothers with a desire for martyrdom, Omar al-Muwahid and Saifullah al-Mujahid, may God bless them, set out for the great congregation of polytheistic heretics near the tomb of their leader, the hypocrite Qasem Soleimani, in the city of Kerman. “, states the statement from the Islamic State. The terrorist group does not consider those who profess Shiism – the majority branch of Islam in Iran – true Muslims, but rather “heretics”, which is why it has attacked them on numerous occasions, both in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. “They detonated their explosive belts in the middle of the crowd, killing and wounding more than 300 polytheistic heretics. Praise God,” he adds. A website linked to the jihadist movement also published the photograph of the alleged perpetrators of the massacre in front of a black flag of the Islamic State, although the two men appear with their faces covered and blurred.

A source close to the investigation of the attacks cited by the state agency IRNA explained that it is likely that the attack was carried out by suicide bombers, despite the fact that hours after the event the Iranian authorities had assured that they were remote-controlled bombs. “After examining the clues and evidence, including security camera images, everything indicates that the first explosion was the result of a suicide attack. “The suicide bomber in the first incident was a man who was completely dismembered as a result of the explosion,” the source explained. “The second explosion remains under investigation, but it is also likely a suicide attack,” she added.

The first explosion occurred at 2:45 p.m. local time (three hours less in mainland Spain) and the second, 10 minutes later, in a different area but not very far away. Both occurred before the security checkpoints that monitored the entrances to the cemetery where Soleimani is buried, but it is a very busy area, since thousands of people had come to pay tribute to the Iranian general.

The result was the deadliest attack suffered by the Islamic Republic since its founding in 1979. Although at first there were reports of more than 100 deaths, this Thursday the Minister of the Interior reduced the number of fatalities to 84, alleging that in the lists Of the deceased there were several names repeated. Of course, he warned that the death toll could increase, since among the more than 200 injured who remain hospitalized there are several in critical condition.

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