Schoolgirl poisonings: Iran arrests more than 100 people

Tehran [Iran], March 13 : The Iranian authorities have arrested more than 100 people in connection to the suspected poisoning of Iranian schoolgirls, reported CNN.
Citing a statement from Iran's Interior Ministry, the state-run IRNA news agency said the people had been "identified, arrested and investigated" in several cities, including the capital Tehran.
"Initial inquiries show that a number of these people, out of mischief or adventurism and with the aim of shutting down classrooms and influenced by the created psychological atmosphere, have taken measures such as using harmless and smelly substances," the statement read.
Iran has seen a wave of suspected poisonings, carried out almost entirely at girls' schools, in recent months. The first known incident of schoolgirl poisoning occurred on November 30 in the city of Qom, when about 50 students fell ill and were taken to the hospital.
Another incident in the city took place in February when more than 100 students from 13 schools were hospitalized after what Iranian state news agencies described as "serial poisonings," reported CNN.
Both the United States and United Nations had called on Iranian authorities to fully investigate the suspected poisonings and hold those responsible to account.
While Iranian politicians have suggested the girls could have been targeted by hardline Islamist groups, activists believe that the poisonings may be linked to the nationwide protests that erupted last September over the death of Mahsa Amini.
Many schoolgirls have been active in the protests, removing their mandatory headscarves in classrooms, tearing up pictures of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and calling for his death, reported CNN.
Medics, parents and teachers have accused the Iranian government of attempting to silence the victims. Many Iranians fear that Islamist hardliners are behind the attacks as their aim is to terrorize the girls and make their families stop sending them to school. Such methods were used by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2010 and more recently by the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram in Nigeria, which in 2014 kidnapped 276 schoolgirls.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei previously called the suspected poisonings an "unforgivable crime" and called for "severe punishment" for anyone found responsible.
Among those arrested, the ministry said, were "individuals who have had hostile motives, tried to create fear and horror among people and students, shut down schools, and created pessimism toward" the Iranian government, reported CNN.
They would remain "under investigation until required assurances are achieved," the statement said, adding that the number of poisoning cases at girls' schools across the country had been decreasing "over the past several days."
Earlier, President Ebrahim Raisi claimed that the poisoning was the work of Iran's enemies, who seek to cause chaos in the country and try to instil fear, despair and insecurity among parents and students.