Suspected suicide bomber arrested in Tehran

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – An unidentified man wearing a suicide vest was arrested in the Iranian capital Tehran Wednesday morning, the city's police chief said.

The suspect, spotted at a city entrance some days ago, had been under the surveillance of law enforcement agencies, Brig. Gen. Hossein Rahimi told reporters.

He said the suspect was found carrying explosives tied to his vest and intended to denote them at a traffic toll on a highway before he was apprehended by police.

"This person, who was led by dissidents, tried to commit acts of sabotage in one or two parts of Tehran, but was arrested with vigilance and intelligence on the Qom-Tehran toll road," Rahimi said.

It is a rare security incident in the Iranian capital where a suspected suicide bomber has been arrested.

The identity and affiliation of the suspect have not been revealed yet, and no group has so far come forward to own him.

Many militant groups are active in the border provinces of Iran, especially in Sistan-Baluchistan, where many attacks on security forces have taken place over the years.