HCHR- The first court hearing for Habib Farajollah Chaab, the ringleader of Harakat- al-Nezal terrorist grouplet, was held in the presence of the his lawyers and a number of families who had lost their loved ones in the terrorist attack carried out by this grouplet.
The highlights of the hearing is available here.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is among few nations to have been a major victim of terrorism despite taking various counter-terrorism measures. Over recent decades, more than 17,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives in terrorist operations carried out by a variety of terrorist groups including but not limited to the Monafeghin Organisation (referred to as MKO), the Kurdistan Free Life Party (hereinafter referred to as PJAK), Komala, and the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz (hereinafter referred to as Harakat-Al-Nezal). The ringleader of one of these terrorist groups has recently been arrested and brought to justice. The first court hearing for Habib Farajollah Cha’ab, nicknamed Habib Asyud, the ringleader of Nezal terrorist grouplet, took place on Tuesday, 18 January 2022, at Division 26 of Islamic Court of Revolution in the presence of the defendant’s defense attorneys and a number of families of those who had lost their lives during a terrorist attack carried out by the abovenamed terrorist grouplet. At the hearing, the first section of the bill of indictment was read out by the prosecu and video clips from Nezal-operated terrorist operations were projected.
Pursuant to the indictment, Habib Farajollah Cha’ab is charged with running and heading the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz terrorist group as well as planning and carrying out numerous bombing and terrorist operations in Khuzestan province, including the 2018 terrorist attack during a military parade marking Sacred Defense Week, which left 25 innocent citizens dead. The key parts from the first section of the bill of indictment, read out by the prosecutor, are outlined as hereunder:
According to the merits of the case opened thereagainst, Habib Farajollah Cha’ab, nicknamed Abu Aziz and Abu Ahmad, born in 1973, a resident of Sweden and employee at Sweden Public Employment Service, has a criminal record. The defendant enjoys legal representation and is found to be in perfect psychological health. According to his express acknowledged, results of investigations and available and corroborating evidence, Cha’ab is charged with establishing, running and heading the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz terrorist grouplet as well as planning and carrying out terrorist operations and destroying public property through various terrorist operations.
Bombing in Ahvaz Governor’s Office in 2005, bombing in the Khuzestan Management and Planning Department, now known as Plan and Budget Department in 2005, bombing in the Ahvaz Housing and Urban Development Department in 2005, bombing in the Ahvaz Department of Environment in 2005, bombing of Khuzestan oil pipelines, bombing of the Ahvaz-Abadan-Mahshahr oil pipeline, bombing in Dezful and Abadan Governor’s Offices in 2005, and planning to detonate a bomb in the Ahvaz Justice Administration are among terrorist operations carried out by the defendant.
The abovenamed grouplet formed its first cells as a terrorist organisation in Khuzestan back in 1999 under the leadership of Habib Labgan. It was formally launched in 2005 by carrying out terrorist operations. Nezal terrorist grouplet has carried out horrible terrorist operations, including but not limited to bombing in public offices, in addition to espionage, armed robbery, spreading intimidation and terror, which have hitherto left 74 Iranians dead.
The main operatives and leaders of the aforesaid terrorist grouplet, who are mainly based in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands and backed by Saudi Arabia, have carried out terrorist operations in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and despite Red Notice issued therefor, no effective measure has been taken by the Europeans and the Saudis to hand them over to the Iranian authorities.
Over recent years, the commanders of Nezal terrorist grouplet have been travelling between European states and Saudi Arabia. The terrorist operations carried out by Nezal mainly target ordinary citizens, including women and children, with ethnic Arab and Persian groups being among the victims. To that effect, the aforementioned terrorist grouplet, in one of its operations dated 22 September 2018, in partnership with other terrorist groups, targeted the armed forces military parade killing 25 people, including one child, injuring 70 others. The terrorist grouplet claimed responsibility for this terrorist operation, and emphasised plans for bombing at Iranian oil facilities.
The terrorist attacks in Khuzestan province reached a critical point when in 2005, several bomb blasts ripped through public offices and oil facilities, particularly Khuzestan Governor’s Office. Habib Nebgan and Habib Farajollah, along with five other Nezal ringleaders based in European countries including Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden, were managing the terrorist operations inside Iran’s territory. Although Red Notice was issued for 12 ringleaders of the said grouplet, the Europeans have refused to turn them over to Iran. Even Poland released Cha’ab after arrest upon requests from the United States and Sweden.
The grouplet’s operatives allegedly aim to partition Khuzestan province. For this purpose, Nezal has not withheld any illegal and terrorist operations along Iran’s borders. Whilst being in contact with other terrorist groups and endorsing their terrorist operations, the said terrorist grouplet plans alliance with other grouplets.
Habib Nebgan has formally announced cooperation with terrorist grouplets including Jaish ul-Adl, previously led by Abdul-Malik Rigi, and described these grouplets as their friends. Furthermore, Nezal’s spokesperson had reached an agreement with Jaish ul-Adl on setting up operation rooms against Iran. Following this agreement, a number of Nezal ringleaders travelled to Syria and northern Iraq for military training and bomb making. They took delivery of 100 bomb detonators inside the country, which were uncovered through Iranian intelligence operations. When Abdul-Malik Rigi was arrested, the ringleader of Nezal condemned the arrest and reaffirmed support for Jaish ul-Adl’s terrorist operations.
Habib Farajollah Cha’ab embarked on its activity in 1997 within the framework of political and cultural activities with a view to countering the Islamic Republic of Iran and partitioning Khuzestan through terrorist operations. Bombing operations in the governor’s offices of Abadan and Dezful in 2005 by placing bag bombs inside offices, bombing of oil wells, oil and gas pipelines in the cities of Ahvaz, Abadan, Ramshir, Shoush and Ahvaz, acts of sabotage against police stations and vehicles, killing police officers, are only a few of many terrorist operations carried out by Nezal. Armed attacks on the domiciles of citizens and killing them, the September 22, 2018 terrorist attack on people and Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, setting banks and ATMs ablaze are among other acts of terror by the grouplet.
The Muhyddin Al Nasser terrorist grouplet, affiliated with Nezal, has spared no effort for its survival. In order to fund its operations, it organised armed robbery on banks and private credit institutions including but not limited to Bank Tejarat in Shams Abad city near Dezful, privately-owned Mahshahr Petrochemical Co., Bandar Imam branch of Bank Saderat, jewelry in Shush (aborted), stealing wheat from silos of Shoushtar and Shoush, planning and carrying out armed robbery on Shuaibia Sugar Cane Development Co. in the city of Shushtar, planning for armed robbery of the salaries of civil servants in Shoushtar, and armed robbery on the Ahvaz branch of Bank Saderat.
The assassination of the head of the Khuzestan Province Justice Administration, Ahvaz Prosecutor and his deputies, examining magistrate of the Ahvaz Prosecution, a lawmaker representing Khuzestan province as well as the CEO of Khuzestan Water and Power Organisation is among these acts of terror. Taking engineer and contractors of Sugar Cane Development Co. hostage to spread terror and intimidation and filming their terrorist operations to spread terror and intimidation across the province with a view to ratcheting up political pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran at the international level, taking judges hostage in Khuzestan Justice Administration, particularly those handling bombings, for revenge, and abduction of the CEO of Khuzestan Water and Power Organisation have been among these terrorist plots.
Bombing in the Ministry of Petroleum in Tehran, bombing in the National Iranian Oil Company building in Ahvaz, bombing in the Ministry of Justice, bombing in the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad, bombing in the Administrative Tribunal, bombing in Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti Complex, bombing in Khuzestan Justice Administration, bombing in Khuzestan Province Documents and Deeds Registration Department, bombing at Tehran Stock Exchange, bombing during New Year holidays in Ahvaz in 2006, bombing in the Dezful court, bombing in Khuzestan Governor’s Office, bombing in the Khuzestan oil pipelines, bombing in Mahshahr Governor’s Office, bombing in the Ahvaz branch of Bank Parsian, bombing in police stations and checkpoints in Ahvaz are among other plans envisaged by this terrorist grouplet’s ringleaders.
150kg of TNT explosives, ready-to-explode time bomb, homemade explosives, Kalashnikov rifle, handgun, riflescope, RPG and mortar launcher, remotely-controlled bomb, bomb detonators, chemicals and glitter used in bomb making, fatigues, and satellite phone for contacting foreign-based elements are among major ammunition seized from this terrorist grouplet operatives.
Synergy and overlapping with other terrorist groups to carry out terrorist acts inside Iran, establishing connections with Saudi Arabia and carrying out multifaceted acts of sabotage inside Iran, making efforts to unite separatist grouplets to counter the Islamic Republic of Iran, establishing connections with European and Arab organisations and nations, making efforts to internationalise partitioning of Khuzestan managing dozens of sabotage terrorist acts from outside of Iran over the last years, and launching a satellite channel to present and teach terrorist attacks are among charges levelled against the grouplet and its ringleader.
This terrorist grouplet, with a view to spreading violence and causing ethnic division in 2017, launched a Saudi-backed television channel. This channel established a representative office in Denmark, near the residence of the then ringleader of the grouplet. Proselytising Wahhabism and training armed action against the Islamic Republic of Iran were among programs aired on this TV channel. After the arrest of the ringleaders of this pro-terrorism channel in Denmark and the Netherlands, all satellite channel equipment belonging to this grouplet was seized due to supporting terrorism.
Members of the terrorist grouplet claim that their acts were aimed at vandalising public property, but if so, why have they carried out such acts exactly when ordinary citizens were in there? One cannot claim to advocate an ethnic group whilst targeting the same people. If this terrorist grouplet aimed to attack public centers, why then they killed so many innocent citizens?