HCHR- The trial of Sharmahd, the ringleader of the Tondar (Thunder), a terrorist group accused of committing terror attacks and anti-revolutionary operations against Iran, was held in a plenary court session presided over by Judge Abolqassem Salavati in the capital, Tehran.
The prosecutor's representative, the families of the victims of the group’s terrorist acts and the defendant and his lawyers were in attendance.
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 different terrorist groups.
Enjoying the all-out support of the U.S. government, Jasmshid Sharmahd, the ringleader of the terrorist Kingdom Assembly of Iran, hereinafter referred to as Tondar, was carrying out terrorist operations prior to his arrest in July 2020. The first court hearing for Sharmahd was held on 6 February 2022, in the presence of the defendant’s defense attorney 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 second section of the bill of indictment was read out by the prosecuting attorney and video clips from the Tondar-operated terrorist operations were projected. The second part of the bill of indictment was presented to the Court by the prosecuting attorney, the highlights of which are listed hereunder:
Jamshid Sharmahd had planned 23 terrorist attacks, but he managed to carry oFF 5.
The bomb blast on 21 November 2009 in the antechamber of the mausoleum of the late Imam Khomeini was among acts of terrorism committed by the Tondar terrorist grouplet. After carrying out numerous operations targeting public events, the aforesaid terrorist grouplet tasked Bijan Abbasi, nicknamed Pirouz, to carry out bombing at the mausoleum of the late Imam Khomeini. As the suspect had been identified, he immediately let the bomb off and killed himself.
Immediately after the bombing, the Kingdom Assembly of Iran claimed responsibility.
According to express acknowledgement by the arrested members of the terrorist grouplet, Majid Rastgou had been instructed by Jamshid Sharmahd to bomb the Sivand Dam. Equipped with surveying tools, he had travelled to the dam and walked about 8km for reconnaissance. After films were presented, Jamshid Sharmahd, then based in the US, ordered bombing in August 2006. But due to the dam’s water supply, no loss of life occurred there. The grouplet released a statement, claiming responsibility for this terrorist operation as well.
During the court hearing, Sharmahd has acknowledged to having had correspondence with US leaders and the Zionist regime in order to coordinate their terrorist acts against the innocent Iranian people.
After the Sivand Dam blast, Majid Rastgou had attempted to assassinate the dam project engineer by placing a bomb beneath his car.
The terrorist Tondar grouplet had also planned blasts at the Feyzieh seminary and Ayatollah Golpayegani Library in Qom. After leaving Shiraz, the grouplet was led by Jamshid Sharmahd to carry out terrorist operations in other cities. According to the acknowledgement made by the detained members of the grouplet, Majid Rastgou and Mohsen Eslamian had travelled to Qom on numerous occasions for bombing.
Following Sharmahd’s instructions, the terrorist grouplet’s operatives had first gone to the Afghans’ seminary to examine the place for bombing, but due to the low number of participants, they changed mind.
Then, they embarked on investigations about the Feyzieh seminary of Qom. Rastgou made his way into the seminary in disguise and gathered necessary information. Tondar operatives were planning to prepare thin tubes of explosives and wear them under cover while wearing clerical robe. But they called off the operation for fear of being unmasked.
He is charged with planning and steering terrorist operations including a bombing at Hosseinieh Rahpouyan-e Vesal in Shiraz on 12 April 2008, which left 14 people dead and nearly 300 others injured.
With Jamshid Sharmahd’s consent, it was decided that a bag full of explosives be placed in one classroom in the seminary and other one at Ayatollah Golpayegani Library. These explosives had been left over after the Shiraz bombing. Rastgou and Eslamian were tasked to carry out the operation in the Qom seminary on 4 May 2008 at 19:30, but their explosives experienced combustion in Hotel Jahan of Tehran and the operations failed.
Sharmahd became the second leader of the Kingdom Assembly of Iran after Foroud Froudvand; and, all the terrorist activities and operations of the Tondar grouplet against the innocent Iranian people were carried out under his command.
Arson at Hotel Jahan of Tehran was another act of terror by the terrorist Tondar grouplet, which occurred during preparation of a bomb for explosion at the Qom seminary. After that, Sharmahd ordered that arrangements be made for Eslamian to leave Iran.
Several bottles of chemicals, six packages of cyanide powder, packages of ammonium nitrate, lead toxins and glycerin oil, an electronic circuit, a number of metal tubes to make bomb detonators and several weapons were seized from this terrorist grouplet.