‘Part of terror community’: Iran hangs 2 men of exiled opposition group; convicts them of targeting civilian infrastructure

Iran on Sunday executed two members of the exiled opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK) after convicting them of targeting civilian and authorities infrastructure. The two men—Behrouz Ehsani Eslamlou and Mehdi Hasani—had been hanged after being discovered responsible of launching assaults utilizing improvised mortar launchers, based on the judiciary’s official information outlet, Mizan Online.Iranian courts charged the men with a number of offenses, together with waging conflict towards the state, conspiracy, sabotage, and membership in a terrorist organisation. Prosecutors stated they had been plotting to destabilise nationwide safety and trigger widespread harm to public infrastructure.State media, cited by AFP, reported that the 2 men had been additionally concerned in acts of vandalism towards public property, gathering intelligence, filming their operations, and distributing footage via media shops linked to the group.Eslamlou was stated to have longstanding ties to the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, courting again to the Eighties. He was beforehand imprisoned and rejoined the group following his launch. Authorities arrested him whereas he was making an attempt to cross the border into Turkiye. At the time, he was reportedly in possession of firearms, ammunition, mortar-assembling supplies, and instruments for altering his look.According to the semi-official Tasnim information company, Eslamlou had been tasked by MEK leaders based mostly in Albania to return to Iran and organise underground terror cells. His mission allegedly concerned coaching operatives and directing assaults on each authorities and civilian targets.The Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, initially a Marxist-Islamist group that opposed Iran’s monarchy, supported the 1979 Islamic Revolution however later broke with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s authorities. The group carried out a sequence of bombings and assassinations within the Eighties and aligned with Saddam Hussein through the Iran-Iraq conflict—stances that proceed to impress deep resentment in Iran.Now based totally in Albania, MEK claims to take care of an underground community inside Iran. Prior to Sunday, the final recognized execution of MEK members passed off in 2009, following their conviction over an tried bombing in Tehran’s Enghelab Square.