Iran arrests rebel leader
By DPA, IANSTuesday, February 23, 2010
TEHRAN - Iran has arrested Abdolmalek Rigi, the leader of the Sunni Muslim rebel group Jundollah, state media reported Tuesday.
The group is accused of drug-trafficking, kidnapping and bombings in the south-eastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan.
Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najar told Khabar news network that Iran had planned the arrest in advance but waited so that Rigi could be caught.
The Sunni rebel leader was reportedly arrested inside Pakistan and transferred to Iran.
The interior minister gave no further details.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Iran had arrested one of the most notorious terrorist leaders in the remote Sistan-Baluchistan province.
Authorities accuse Jundollah of sowing discord between the Shiite majority and the Sunni minority in Iran. The group says it is fighting against discrimination and for the rights of the Sunnis.
The spokesman accused the US of having supported Rigi and the Jundollah group but gave no further details.
Sistan-Baluchistan province is a major transit route for narcotics. It has been hit by a string of attacks and kidnappings, including of foreigners, that authorities blame on Jundollah.
The group claimed responsibility for a bombing in the province that killed more than 40 people, including 15 senior members of the Revolutionary Guards, in October.
