Iranian security forces defused a bomb in Shiraz that was set to detonate concurrent with a deadly terrorist attack in the southwestern Iranian city on Wednesday.
Shiraz Governor Lotfollah Sheibani revealed the development in an interview with IRNA on Friday.
“The person who intended to plant a bomb in this street had placed explosives with high destructive power in a bag and sought to detonate it in one of the busiest areas of Shiraz, on Ma’ali Abad Street,” Sheibani said, adding that the plot was foiled by the country’s security forces.
The forces at the scene, he said, arrested the individual and defused the bomb as soon as they found out about the plot.
If the blast had happened, a large number of people would have been killed and injured, he added.
The arrested individual is in police custody for further investigation and interrogation, said the governor, adding that their identity will be announced later.
Mo’ali Abad street in Shiraz has been one of the centers for recent violent unrest which erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini.
The bomb attempt comes as 15 pilgrims, including a woman and two children, lost their lives and at least 40 others were wounded after an armed terrorist opened indiscriminate fire at Shah Cheragh, a highly revered Shia shrine in Shiraz.
Shortly after the attack, the Daesh terror group claimed responsibility.
The unprecedented terrorist attack was condemned by various countries as well as by Iranian authorities.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei slammed the deadly attack, assuring that the perpetrators of the “outrageous” crime will definitely face punishment.
“Perpetrators or perpetrators of this crime will surely be punished,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. “The grief of these dears and desecration of the shrine of Ahl al Bayt will, however, not be compensated unless through tracking these disastrous acts back to where they originate from and through adopting decisive and wise measures against it.”
Iranians have held protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian who died at a hospital in Tehran on September 16, three days after she collapsed in police custody.
Iran mourned her death, but some extremist elements derailed the protests and incited violence against security forces. Western-backed media outlets have also encouraged violence.
An official report published earlier this month said Amini’s death had been caused by an illness rather than alleged blows to the head or other vital body organs.