Iran: over 100 arrests after poisoning of female students

TEHRAN. At least 118 people have been arrested in connection with the classroom poisonings of at least 5,000 female students that have occurred since the end of November in hundreds of schools in 25 provinces of Iran. This was announced by police spokesman Saeed Montazeralmahdi, as reported by Isna, speaking of the discovery of “about 9,000 packets of malodorous substances” and of the involvement in poisoning by “students and individuals just for enthusiasm”. The poisonings were reported for the first time on November 30 in the city of Qom and have created indignation among parents and the population due to the government’s lack of initiatives to address the problem and its possible involvement in the matter. Religious leaders and the ayatollahs of Qom have called on the Iranian administration to “put an end to the justifications and stop blaming internal or external enemies for the incidents”.