Leader of armed Jundallah insurgent group leader hanged in Iran

Jundallah insurgent leader hanged in Iran

TEHRAN, Iran — Leader of the Jundallah insurgent group, Abdulmalik Rigi was hanged Sunday after months of interrogation and trial, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Rigi, whose insurgency in the southeast had destabilized Iran’s border region with Pakistan, was hanged Sunday morning in the presence of the families his group had terrorized, IRNA reported.

The hanging came after authorities exhausted legal requirements after months of interrogation and trial on charges of “being corrupt on earth” for waging a bloody campaign in Iran’s southeast.

Rigi was arrested in February by Iranian intelligence agents when he was flying over the Persian Gulf en route from Dubai to Kyrgyzstan.

Rigi’s younger brother Abdulhamid was executed last month in Zahedan. He had been captured in Pakistan in 2008 and extradited to Iran.

IRNA said Rigi pleaded guilty to charges of armed attacks against targets that included civilians, armed robbery, creating insecurity and engaging in a disinformation campaign against Iran.

Jundallah had already claimed responsibility for bombing attacks that have killed dozens in recent years, including five senior commanders of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard last year.

The group, which Iran claims is linked to al-Qaida, gained notice six years ago after it launched a campaign of sporadic kidnappings and bomb attacks that killed dozens.

Jundallah claims minority Sunni tribes in southeastern Iran suffer discrimination at the hands of Iran’s Shiite leadership.

Iran has accused the U.S. and Britain of supporting Jundallah in an effort to weaken the Iranian government, a charge they deny.