Iran hangs two ISIS terrorists linked to infant’s death

January 24, 2026 - 20:54
The two operatives had plotted a mass casualty during Arbaeen Walk

TEHRAN — The Iranian Judiciary announced on Saturday the execution of two ISIS operatives responsible for a heinous bus bombing and a foiled mass-casualty plot targeting the sacred Arbaeen pilgrimage.

According to a statement from the Judiciary, Amanj Karvanchi and Arslan Sheikhi (known as Abdulrahman) were executed by hanging following a Supreme Court confirmation of their death sentences.

The two men were convicted of “Baghy” (armed rebellion against the state) and the murder of an innocent toddler during a 2023 terror operation.

The case dates back to a harrowing incident on the Tehran-to-Ilam highway, where a bus carrying pilgrims toward the Iraqi border was ripped apart by a timed explosive.

The blast martyred 1.5-year-old Delvin Rahamian and left scores of civilians with permanent injuries.

Sheikhi later confessed to planting the powder-based device in the overhead luggage compartment before surrendering his conscience to a cold-blooded escape.

According to the Judiciary’s statement, Iran’s intelligence officers neutralized the cell in September 2023 after uncovering a chilling blueprint for a mass-fatality attack.

The terrorists aimed to slaughter approximately 1,000 people during the “Arbaeen Walk of the Left Behind” in Tehran.

Surveillance led to a fierce armed clash in Safadasht, where Sheikhi was captured alongside his wife, who had been using a sewing machine to manufacture suicide vests for the group’s “Amir [ringleader],” Karvanchi.

The Judiciary said the duo had filmed a formal pledge of allegiance (Bay’ah) to ISIS leadership in a rented garden in Shahriar, surrounded by a cache of ammonium nitrate and suicide belts.