The state-sanctioned fact-finding committee in Iran tried to downplay the poisoning of schoolgirls in recent months. According to the report by the Iran News Update (INU) on Saturday (June 17), the committee claimed that the poisoning of schoolgirls was merely a result of “mischief”.

The state-sanctioned fact-finding committee in Iran tried to downplay the poisoning of schoolgirls in recent months. According to the report by the Iran News Update (INU) on Saturday (June 17), the committee claimed that the poisoning of schoolgirls was merely a result of “mischief”. Hamidreza Kazemi, a member of parliament and head of the fact-finding committee told the ISNA news agency that numerous meetings had taken place with relevant agencies to probe the incidents of poisonings. Evidence pointed to deliberate acts of mischief, with individuals using commercially available stink bombs, Kazemi said. Despite initially claiming a conspiracy theory, the head of the committee said a comprehensive probe identified individuals responsible for orchestrating the systematic poisoning of schoolgirls. The report said that intelligence and security agencies apprehended these culprits, but the regime did not disclose any information about them. Since late November last year, many schools, mostly for girls, have been affected by sudden poisoning incidents from gases or toxic substances. This mysterious phenomenon has shaken the country for months. Minister contradicts claims of committee The INU report said that Iran's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi contradicted the claims of the fact-finding committee. During a recent press conference, Interior Minister Vahidi said that no arrests were made and refuted the claim that no students had been paralysed as a result. Vahidi highlighted the absence of specific complaints regarding toxic substances, attributing a significant portion of the issue to the creation of a psychological atmosphere among students and their families. Critics see poisoning an act of revenge against Mahsa Amini protests Critics of the regime see the poisonings as an act of revenge against the protests triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was detained by the police for violating Iran's dress code. Female students played a prominent role during the protests, seeking justice and a free and democratic country. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Iran schoolgirls poisoning: State-sanctioned committee ‘downplaying’ attacks, says report

In connection to the mysterious poisoning of thousands of schoolgirls in Iran, Iranian security has arrested three female teenagers and two men over their alleged involvement, local media reported citing sources. Arrested from the southern city of Lar, the three students and two men are reportedly subjected to great pressure from authorities to confess carrying out poisoning attacks, a source told IranWire.&nbsp;

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The source said that the five suspects were arrested "simply because they were protestors." Moreover, it claimed that "a scenario was created to accuse them of being involved in the students' poisoning."

Up to 13,000 students are said to have had symptoms like nausea, dizziness, headaches, coughing, difficulty breathing, and heart palpitations, many of whom required hospitalisation.

On 7 March, the police chief of the province of Fars, where Lar is situated, reported the detention of five people. This included three women and two males, both of whom were in their 20s and 50s.

According to Iranian police spokesperson Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi, the suspects threw Nitrogen in seven schools in the Larestan area as a "team," poisoning 53 kids.

State media in Lar released a video on March 18 in which Setayesh Amiri and her father are described as the main suspects behind the case.

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The females detained were Satayesh Amiri, Setayesh Darogheh, and Erfaneh Honar, both in the 10th grade, according to IranWire's source. They all are in the same high school and are all 17 years old.

The two further suspects were named as Alireza Bagheri, a young man, and Ebrahim, Amiri's father.

Multiple Lar schools were the target of chemical attacks on 3 March, the source told IranWire. Security personnel seized students' cellphones, including those of the three females detained in the case. It was done to ensure that the students do not record videos.&nbsp;

Ebrahim Amiri was taken into custody later that evening during a raid on his home. Several hours later, Alireza Bagheri was arrested. Setayesh Amiri, during her compelled confession, referred to the young man as her friend.&nbsp;

The two claimed in the video that they poisoned pupils while filming them and then submitted the videos to the London-based Iran International news station.

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According to the source, Setayesh Darogheh was singled out because of her "fearlessness and activism."

The authorities are "creating a case against her and the others to show that the government is taking action," according to IranWire.

In the first week of March, the Iranian government made an announcement that a few suspects are arrested in connection to the poisoning cases which affected thousand of students since late November.

The incident sparked outrage in Iran, with many people calling for a thorough investigation into the cause of the poisoning and for those responsible to be held accountable.&nbsp;

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In connection to the mysterious poisoning of thousands of schoolgirls in Iran, Iranian security has arrested three female teenagers and two men over their alleged involvement, local media reported citing sources.

In connection to the mysterious poisoning of thousands of schoolgirls in Iran, Iranian security has arrested three female teenagers and two men over their alleged involvement, local media reported citing sources. Arrested from the southern city of Lar, the three students and two men are reportedly subjected to great pressure from authorities to confess carrying out poisoning attacks, a source told IranWire. Also Read | Jack Dorsey's Twitter alternative Bluesky makes debut on Android The source said that the five suspects were arrested "simply because they were protestors." Moreover, it claimed that "a scenario was created to accuse them of being involved in the students' poisoning." Up to 13,000 students are said to have had symptoms like nausea, dizziness, headaches, coughing, difficulty breathing, and heart palpitations, many of whom required hospitalisation. On 7 March, the police chief of the province of Fars, where Lar is situated, reported the detention of five people. This included three women and two males, both of whom were in their 20s and 50s. According to Iranian police spokesperson Saeed Montazer al-Mahdi, the suspects threw Nitrogen in seven schools in the Larestan area as a "team," poisoning 53 kids. State media in Lar released a video on March 18 in which Setayesh Amiri and her father are described as the main suspects behind the case. Also Read | Tesla secures big win in crash case, court says autopilot feature did not fail The females detained were Satayesh Amiri, Setayesh Darogheh, and Erfaneh Honar, both in the 10th grade, according to IranWire's source. They all are in the same high school and are all 17 years old. The two further suspects were named as Alireza Bagheri, a young man, and Ebrahim, Amiri's father. Multiple Lar schools were the target of chemical attacks on 3 March, the source told IranWire. Security personnel seized students' cellphones, including those of the three females detained in the case. It was done to ensure that the students do not record videos. Ebrahim Amiri was taken into custody later that evening during a raid on his home. Several hours later, Alireza Bagheri was arrested. Setayesh Amiri, during her compelled confession, referred to the young man as her friend. The two claimed in the video that they poisoned pupils while filming them and then submitted the videos to the London-based Iran International news station. Watch | Oliver Dowden named UK deputy pm after Dominic Raab's resignation × According to the source, Setayesh Darogheh was singled out because of her "fearlessness and activism." The authorities are "creating a case against her and the others to show that the government is taking action," according to IranWire. In the first week of March, the Iranian government made an announcement that a few suspects are arrested in connection to the poisoning cases which affected thousand of students since late November. The incident sparked outrage in Iran, with many people calling for a thorough investigation into the cause of the poisoning and for those responsible to be held accountable. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Iranian female teens arrested, forced to confess carrying out school poisonings: Report

Iran announced on March 7 it had made the first arrests in a spate of mystery poisonings of schoolgirls that has affected more than 5,000 pupils since late November.

Arrests in six provinces of Iran as school poisoning cases top 5,000 victims