Iran: Iranian authorities announced on Sunday the dismantling of a cell they described as “sabotage” that was planning attacks targeting military and government centers in Qazvin province, at a time when the country is witnessing protests related to living conditions and the economy.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, official media quoted the Qazvin police chief, Brigadier General Mohammad Qassem Tarhani, as saying that members of the police intelligence organization, in cooperation with the Revolutionary Guard’s intelligence in the province, were able to monitor the activities of an organized group that was seeking to exploit citizens’ protests to carry out acts against security.

Tarhani explained that a “surprise and joint” security operation resulted in the arrest of four people suspected of belonging to this cell, noting that they were transferred to police stations to complete the investigations.

He added that “those arrested have prior arrests related to the 2021 protests, and they confessed, according to him, to their intention to attack government and military installations with the aim of destabilizing security.”