Iran Links Spate of Bombing to Protests

[Freddie Stubbs]

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer
1 hour, 35 minutes ago

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's intelligence minister blamed Iranian Arab extremists Monday for violent protests and a spate of deadly bombings and claimed the ringleaders were connected to foreign intelligence services.

Four bombs in the southwestern city of Ahvaz killed eight people Sunday, and two more people were killed in explosions later in Tehran.

Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi said the bombers were Iranians based outside the country.

"We have proof of a link between these people outside Iran and some intelligence services in the world," Yunesi was quoted as saying by the official Islamic Republic News Agency. He did not identify the leaders of the protests or the intelligence services and stopped short of directly linking foreign hands to the bombings.

more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050613/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_explosions