Four people were sentenced to death on Wednesday by Iran’s judiciary for allegedly cooperating with Israel’s intelligence service and committing kidnappings, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.
The Islamic Republic has long accused arch-enemy Israel of carrying out covert operations on its soil. Tehran has lately accused Israeli and Western intelligence services of plotting a civil war in the country, now gripped by some of the biggest anti-government protests since its 1979 Islamic Revolution.
“With guidance from the Zionist intelligence service, this network of thugs was stealing and destroying private and public property, kidnapping people, and obtaining fake confessions,” Mehr reported, referring to Israel.
It added that the accused had been arrested by the Revolutionary Guards and the Ministry of Intelligence.
Mehr said three other people were handed prison sentences of between five and 10 years for allegedly committing crimes such as acting against national security, aiding in kidnapping, and possessing illegal weapons.
