Reuters writes that a heretofore unknown Sunni terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the April bombing of a Shiraz religious center (hossaynieh). The bombing, which killed 14 people, occurred in a the mosque that was being used for a meeting of the Rahpuyan organization--a hardline fundamentalist group devoted to preparing the way for the return of the Mahdi or Hidden Imam. The group is ardently opposed to non-Shiite religious expression, especially the the Baha'i faith (which believes the Mahdi returned in the mid 19th century) and Sunnis (who reject the infallibility of the 12 Imams).
Iranian authorities have gone back and forth on their investigation of the bombing. Local authorities initially declared the bombing to be an accidental explosion of improperly stored munitions left by the local Basij (paramilitary) unit. Soon afterward, however, the intelligence ministry began to blame "Wahhabis" and the Baha'is-- the latter have seen increased persecution and the arrests of their informal leadership council due to this erroneous association--and have claimed that the bombing happened with the support of US, British, and Israeli intelligence.
The Sunni terrorist organization (the "Jihadi Movement of the Sunna People of Iran") claimed that the bombing was in response to the execution of two religious leaders from the Sunni Baluchi ethnic community in southeastern Iran. Iran has been dealing with recurring attacks from Baluchi resistance groups, including Jondallah. The Baluchi ethnic population straddles Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, which has made combating groups like Jondallah difficult for Tehran.
Recently, in a show of improving relations between the two nations, Pakistan handed over four Jondallah militants to Tehran, including Abdul-Hamid Rigi, the brother of the group's leader, Abdul-Malek Rigi.
Video of the bombing also made its way to youtube soon after the fact.
