Iran transfers body of terror ringleader to Germany after legal procedures
Iran transfers body of terror ringleader to Germany after legal procedures
TEHRAN – Iran has officially transferred the body of Jamshid Sharmahd, the leader of the Tondar terrorist group, to Germany after completing all necessary legal processes, according to Iranian judiciary officials.
The handover was carried out in response to a formal request from Sharmahd’s family and in accordance with judicial and diplomatic protocols, The Iranian News Agency Daneshjoo stated.
Sharmahd, a German citizen and U.S. resident was the ringleader of a pro-monarchist terrorist group known in Iran for organizing and carrying out numerous deadly terrorist attacks against civilians.
One of the most notorious attacks linked to Sharmahd was the 2008 bombing at the Seyyed-ol-Shohada mosque in the southern city of Shiraz.
About 800 worshipers were attending a sermon by Seyyed Mohammad Anjavinejad, head cleric of the Rahpouyan Vesal Cultural Center when a powerful bomb exploded.
The explosion injured 215 and martyred 14 people, including five women, two children, and an infant, making it one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Iranian history.
According to investigators, the British-made 8-pound bomb was detonated by remote control and was enough to kill a thousand people, but the placement of the explosive next to the column and the way the building collapsed limited the casualties.
Sharmahd and his Tondar group were also behind a 2010 terrorist bombing at Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s mausoleum in the Iranian capital, which left several people injured.
Before Sharmahd’s arrest in 2020, his group was planning to carry out several high-profile and potentially deadly attacks across Iran, but its efforts were thwarted by the intricate intelligence operations targeting the outfit, according to the Iranian Intelligence Ministry.
Furthermore, Sharmahd and his group collaborated with foreign intelligence services to destabilize the country. In March 2024, an Iranian court ordered the Tondar group to pay $2.5 billion in damages for the 2008 Shiraz bombing, holding it responsible for orchestrating deadly attacks against Iranian citizens. The verdict was issued following a lawsuit filed by 116 victims and their families.
Sharmahd was sentenced to death after his arrest, but he died last year before the sentence could be carried out.
source: tehrantimes.com