Iran makes the first arrest in schoolgirls poisoning as cases reach 5,000

 

The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has announced the arrests of a few suspects in the case of mystery poisonings of Iranian schoolgirls across the country, which affected more than 5,000 students since late November.

On Tuesday, Iranian authorities arrested a few suspects. Deputy Interior Minister Majid Mirahmadi said that a number of people were arrested in six provinces of Iran. Reportedly, the intelligence and research measures of the intelligence agencies were investigating the case. The arrested people were suspected of producing hazardous substances.

According to a lawmaker investigating the cases, over 5,000 Iranian schoolchildren were affected by the spate of poisonings. The suspects were arrested from West Azerbaijan, Kermanshah, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Fars and Alborz provinces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

On Monday, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, the second and current supreme leader of Iran, condemned the incident. He said that the perpetrators of the "unforgivable crime" must be arrested.

Mohammad-Hassan Asafari, the parliamentary fact-finding committee's member, said that 25 provinces and approximately 230 schools in Iran were affected due to the rise in the case of mystery poisonings. He reportedly said, "Various tests are being carried out to identify the type and cause of the poisonings.”

According to a statement from the interior ministry, one of those arrested had allegedly used their child to insert the "irritant" into the school in order to affect the health of school children. The arrested person recorded videos of sick students in order to create fear among students and close schools.

Three suspects were found with criminal records, according to the Iranian authorities. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi already asked the interior ministry to investigate the case and arrest the accused.

The latest case of poisoning took place in the southeastern city of Zahedan. According to the ISNA news agency, the latest case affected 40 students.