The Islamic State claimed responsibility on Thursday for the attack in the Iranian city of Kerman that left more than 80 dead and nearly 300 injured a day earlier at a tribute to General Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a US drone strike four years ago were required. The jihadist group made the announcement through a message on a Telegram channel it uses to spread propaganda. In it, she explained that the two explosions that rocked the huge gathering were caused by two suicide bombers.
“The two brothers Omar al-Muwahid and Saifullah al-Mujahid, may God bless them, with a desire for martyrdom, set out for the large gathering of polytheistic heretics near the grave of their leader, the hypocrite Qasem Soleimani, in the city of Kerman,” the Islamic State statement said. The radical group does not view those who profess Shiism – the majority branch of Islam in Iran – as true Muslims, but rather as “heretics”, which is why it has attacked them on several occasions, both in Iran, Iraq, Syria and in 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 group also published a photo of the alleged perpetrators of the massacre in front of a black Islamic State flag, although the two men are seen with their faces obscured and blurred.
A source familiar with the investigation into the attacks told state agency IRNA that it was likely that the attack was carried out by suicide bombers, although authorities had assured hours after the attack that they were remote-controlled bombs. “After reviewing the clues and evidence, including images from surveillance cameras, 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 is still under investigation, but it is also likely a suicide attack,” he added.
The first explosion occurred at 2:45 p.m. local time (three hours less in mainland Spain) and the second ten minutes later in a different area but not very far away. Both events occurred outside security checkpoints monitoring the entrances to the cemetery where Soleimani is buried. However, it is a very busy area as thousands of people came to pay tribute to the Iranian general.
The result was the deadliest attack the Islamic Republic has suffered since its founding in 1979. Although there was initially talk of more than a hundred deaths, this morning the Interior Minister reduced the death toll to 84, as stated in the lists of the deceased, several names were repeated. Of course, he warned that the death toll could rise, with several in critical condition among the more than 200 injured still in hospital.
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