Rigi reveals close ties with Pakistan, Afghanistan

The ringleader of the Jundallah terrorist group, Abdolmalek Rigi, has confessed to having closely cooperated with the security services of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Iranian security forces arrested Rigi on February 23 while he was aboard a Kyrgyz airliner on a flight from the United Arab Emirates to Kyrgyzstan.

In his 20 hours of confessions, Rigi has revealed intelligence of high importance, including details about his ties with some intelligence agencies such as the CIA, according to the Basirat website, which is run by the Political Department of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

He has said that he closely cooperated with the security services of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The website quoted a security official as saying that on several occasions Iranian intelligence officials had the opportunity to kill Rigi but senior officials of the Islamic Republic had insisted that Rigi should be captured alive.

“When the Kyrgyz pilot refused to land, two Iranian fighter jets forced the plane to land at an airport in Bandar Abbas. In order to prevent harm to the passengers, they were told to evacuate the airplane due to suspected terrorist activity on the plane,” added the official, who was not named.

During the evacuation process, Rigi and his deputy, Molla Mohammad Jan, also known as Hamzeh, were arrested by Iranian security forces.

After Rigi ordered the assassination of IRGC Brig. Gen. Nour-Ali Shoushtari, Islamabad limited his activities and advised him to leave Quetta and hide in the mountains of the region, but after a while, Rigi made the necessary coordination and returned to the city, the official said.