2,000 new “trouble-makers” arrested: Iran capital police chief

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Oct. 22 – More than 2,000 “trouble-makers” have been arrested in Tehran province over the past nine days, Iran’s state-run press reported on Saturday. Iran Focus

Tehran, Iran, Oct. 22 – More than 2,000 “trouble-makers” have been arrested in Tehran province over the past nine days, Iran’s state-run press reported on Saturday.

Chief of police in Tehran province, Brigadier General Reza Zarei, was quoted as saying that the individuals had been arrested since the launch of a new crackdown on “trouble-makers” in the province.

Since early September, the “Plan to Combat Trouble-makers” has been in effect in the Iranian capital. The crackdown was recently extended by Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Prosecutor, Saeed Mortazavi, who announced that it would last until at least October 26 and may be extended once again.

Zarei said that the plan was extended to all of Tehran province since October 11 and would last for a period of one month.

The Tehran province police chief said that there had been an increase in crimes such as “racketeering” and “loansharking”, and 15 smaller plans had been launched to deal with such crimes.

Iranian officials often refer to millions of unemployed young men, who are largely beset by frustration and despair, as “trouble-makers”.