More than 100 arrests have been made in Iran over the mysterious mass poisoning of schoolgirls that has shocked the country, the Iranian Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The Ministry did not provide further information about the suspects, who were arrested in several provinces, including Tehran and Qom, in northern Iran, eastern and western Azerbaijan, northwestern Iran, or even in Kurdistan and Hamadan in the western part of the country.

However, it clarified that among those arrested, some had hostile motives aimed at instilling fear among students and closing schools. The Ministry also talked about possible links with terrorist organizations, referring to the “People’s Mujahideen”, an exiled organization of Iranian dissidents.

In its statement, the Ministry expressed its satisfaction that fortunately since the middle of last week, the number of cases has decreased significantly and there have been no new cases of students falling ill.

Also read: Taliban | Take over operation of Afghan embassy in Iran

Since the end of November when this case broke out, many schools, mostly for girls, have faced sudden poisonings from fumes that have caused students’ sickness, fainting, and sometimes even hospitalization.

Authorities say they have recorded a total of more than 5,000 cases of students, affected in about 230 schools in 25 of the country’s 31 provinces, but have yet to identify the gas used in the school attacks.

After the proliferation of cases, parents of students and residents rushed to express their concern and ask the authorities to take action. They claim that these are deliberate attacks with “chemical compounds”, which caused them to vomit, feel dizzy, and flushed.

The poisonings began last November, against the backdrop of anti-government protests that broke out across the country after the death of Makhsa Amini, while she was arrested by the morality police for not wearing her headscarf properly.

On March 6, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, addressed the people, calling for severe punishments, including the death penalty, for those found responsible for these poisonings, which he described as unforgivable crimes.

Source: Euronews

Also read: Iran | Tehran begins construction of new nuclear plant