Iran executes 13 convicted terrorists

ZAHEDAN, Iran, July 14 (UPI) -- Thirteen people convicted of involvement with a 2006 attack on civilians were executed in jail by Iranian authorities Tuesday, officials said.

Hojjatoleslam Ebrahim Hamidi, general director of Sistan and Balouchestan's provincial Judiciary Office, told Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency that the alleged members of the Jundullah terrorist group had been executed in jail, rather than in a park in the provincial capital of Zahedan as was first planned.

"Their verdict was carried out in jail based on the latest decisions," Hamidi said.

A 14th death row inmate, Abdulhamid Rigi, the brother of the group's alleged ringleader Abdolmalek Rigi, will be executed by the end of this week, the news agency reported.

The judiciary office said the 14 were "convicted of warring against God, being corrupt on Earth, killing innocent people and taking hostages while carrying firearms during the terrorist attack in Tasooki and Darzin in Bam."

On March 25, 2006, armed men shut down the Bam-Kerman highway in the southeastern part of the country and fired on passing cars, the government-funded Press TV reported. Twenty-two civilians were killed and six were wounded and Jundullah claimed responsibility.