Iran announced Thursday that it has identified the alleged mastermind behind dual suicide bombing attacks that left nearly 100 people dead at a recent memorial for late Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed years ago by a U.S. drone strike.
The IRNA news agency carried a statement by the intelligence ministry saying the main suspect who planned the Jan. 3 attack in Kerman, a city southeast of the Iranian capital of Tehran, was a Tajik national known by his alias Abdollah Tajiki.
Tajiki reportedly entered the country in mid-December by crossing Iran’s southeast border, and left two days before the attack, after making the bombs.
One bomber first detonated his explosives at the ceremony in Kerman, then another attacked 20 minutes later as emergency workers and other people tried to help the wounded from the first explosion, according to The Associated Press.
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People pray over the flag-draped coffins of victims of the Jan. 3 attacks during their funeral ceremony in the city of Kerman, Iran, on Friday, Jan. 5. (AP/Vahid Salemi)
The report identified one of the bombers by his family name of Bozrov, saying the man was 24 years old and had Tajik and Israeli nationality. It said he also arrived in Iran by crossing the southeastern border after months of training by the Islamic State terrorist group in Afghanistan.
The report added that authorities were still trying to identify the second suicide-bomber while 35 other people have been taken into custody in relation to the attacks.
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Former Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, center, attends a meeting in Tehran, Iran, in September 2016. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP, File) (AP)
As of Thursday, the death toll from the attack is 94.
ISIS last week claimed responsibility for the blasts. A statement from the terrorist group published to Telegram named operatives Omar al-Mowahid and Sayefulla al-Mujahid as the suicidal attackers behind the “dual martyrdom operation.”
People gather at the site of an explosion in the city of Kerman, Iran on Jan. 3. (Sare Tajalli/ISNA/AP)
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Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Forces, was killed in a Jan. 3, 2020, U.S. strike in Baghdad, days after Iranian-backed militia supporters stormed the U.S. Embassy in Iraq.
Fox News’ Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and Peter Aitken contributed to this report.
3 women accused of murder after fatal stabbing in Del Rio
Three women were charged with murder after a 32-year-old woman died following a stabbing in Del Rio, Texas, on June 25, police said.
Three women have been arrested and charged with murder in the death of a mother of five in South Texas.
The Del Rio Police Department initially responded around 2:10 p.m. Thursday, June 25, to the Val Verde Regional Medical Center after receiving a report of a woman with multiple stab wounds. Upon arrival, officers determined the assault had occurred in the 800 block of East 10th Street.
Del Rio police on Thursday, June 25, took into custody Kitty Mia Diaz, 21, Amaya Cookie Diaz, 19, and Kyandra Renee Faz, 21, in connection with the murder, according to the department’s media post.
The woman, identified as Caroline Peña, 32, according to KENS 5 in San Antonio, was transported to a medical facility in San Antonio for treatment but later died from her injuries.
According to the department, investigators gathered surveillance video, processed evidence, conducted numerous witness interviews and identified the three women as potentially being involved in the incident.
Two hours after responding to the initial call, officers located and arrested Kitty Diaz and Amaya Diaz without incident. Shortly after, officers located and arrested Kyandra Faz in connection with the investigation.
Video captured during Kitty and Amaya’s arrests shows both women grinning as law enforcement places them in their police vehicles.
All three suspects were transported to the Del Rio Police Department for booking and processing. When investigators were notified of the women’s deaths, each was charged with murder and transported to the GEO Correctional Facility.
Del Rio police say the investigation remains ongoing, noting that additional charges may be filed at a later time.
Mateo Rosiles is the Texas Connect reporter for USA TODAY and its regional papers in Texas. Got a news tip for him? Email him at mrosiles@usatodayco.com.
Amer Taisir Zghailat Qaralleh, 42, a dual U.S.-Jordanian citizen, was found guilty of possessing an unregistered firearm and improper storage of explosive materials following a trial in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
According to evidence presented at trial, Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office deputies served a writ of eviction at Qaralleh’s Springfield residence on March 18, 2025. During a protective sweep of the home before movers entered, deputies saw several firearms in plain view and secured four of them, including a sawed-off shotgun.
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