Iran's public security police say 297 "thugs" detained in recent "riots"

TEHRAN, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Public Security Police Chief Seyed Majid Feiz Jafari said Tuesday his forces have detained 297 "thugs" during the recent "riots" in the country.

He made the remarks in an interview with state-run IRIB news agency, stressing that the detainees were Israel- and U.S.-affiliated organizations involved in inciting "riots" in the country.

The detainees had damaged religious places, government buildings and public property, and looted people's belongings during the "riots," he said.

During the operations to arrest the "thugs," two of them were killed and 17 others injured, he said, adding that over 30 different kinds of weapons and remarkable amounts of explosives were seized from them.

The operation came as protests have erupted in many Iranian cities since Dec. 28. They initially began with Tehran bazaar merchants demonstrating against the sharp devaluation of the national currency rial, and soaring inflation, before spreading to other cities. The unrest has led to casualties among both security forces and civilians.

Earlier on Tuesday, multiple media reports said Iranian state television had acknowledged that Iran has "a lot of martyrs" in the nationwide protests, without providing any specific number. Meanwhile, U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency put the death toll at 2,003. ■