Trial of Iran blast suspects set for 22 November
Published: Thursday, November 20, 2008
00:12GMT—7:12PM/EST
SHIRAZ – RELIGIOUS CENTER – BLAST
Washington, 19 November (IranVNC)—The trial of seven individuals, who face the death penalty on charges of being involved in the bombing of a cultural-religious center in Iran’s southern province of Shiraz in April, is to be held on 22 November, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported today.
This announcement was made by the deputy for security of the General and Revolution Court prosecutor of Tehran, who added that the trial will be held at Bench 15 of Tehran’s Revolution Court, beginning at 9am [0530gmt].
The report adds that more than 20 suspects are accused of being involved in the bombing of the Rahpuyan-e Vesal Religious-Cultural Centre in Shiraz on 12 April 2008, which killed at least 11 people and wounded 191 others.
State security services initially said the blast was caused by a cache of left-over explosives stored in the center, IRNA reports.
But several weeks after the incident, the State Prosecutor General, Qorbanali Dorri-Najafabadi, announced the arrest of suspects accused of bombing the center.
The suspects had confessed to “having a hand in the explosion and to having contacts with the U.S. and Israel,” Dori Najafabadi said.
Sources: ISNA in Persian, IRNA in Persian
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(Original article written in Persian.)