Iran identifies alleged bomb-maker behind last week's IS twin suicide attack that killed dozens

Iran’s intelligence ministry has identified a top suspect, described as ringleader and bomb-maker, in the twin suicide bombings last week claimed by the Islamic State group

TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran’s intelligence ministry on Thursday identified a top suspect, described as ringleader and bomb-maker, in the twin suicide bombings last week claimed by the Islamic State group as the death toll from the attack rose to at least 94, state media reported.

The Jan. 3 attack, in which two suicide bombers targeted a commemoration for an Iranian general slain in a 2020 U.S. drone strike in Iraq, was the deadliest in Iran in decades as the wider Middle East remains on edge.

One bomber first detonated his explosives at the ceremony in Kerman, about 820 kilometers (510 miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran, then another attacked 20 minutes later as emergency workers and other people tried to help the wounded from the first explosion.

The official IRNA news agency carried a statement by the intelligence ministry saying the main suspect who planned the bombing was a Tajik national known by his alias Abdollah Tajiki.

According to IRNA, the suspect had entered the country in mid-December by crossing Iran's southeast border, and left two days before the attack, after making the bombs.