Iran says it arrested five al-Qaeda members

[News_Editor]

Iran says it arrested five al-Qaeda members

2011-09-07 04:12:22 GMT+7 (ICT)

KERMAN, IRAN (BNO NEWS) -- Iran on Tuesday said it arrested five heavily-armed members of al-Qaeda in the country's southeast, local media reported. The men were said to be planning attacks inside Iran.

The state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that the five al-Qaeda members were arrested in Kerman province, which is about 1,076 kilometers (668 miles) south of the capital of Tehran. It did not say when the arrests were made.

"Two of the arrested men are foreigners and they had planned to do some sabotage operations inside Iran," General Hossein Chenarian told reporters on Tuesday, according to IRNA. He added that the suspected terrorists were carrying arms and explosives and were planning to import more arms into Iran.

Iran, which has designated al-Qaeda as a terrorist organization, gave no other details.

On Monday, the Pakistani government announced it arrested a senior member of al-Qaeda who was personally tasked by Osama bin Laden to plan attacks against the United States and other countries. That suspect was identified as Younis Al Mauritani.

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