Financial Times: Tehran Captures Terror Suspect In Cross Border Operation By Monavar Khalaj In Tehran

He did not say which country the security forces had entered to arrest Mr Rigi, but it was probably Pakistan or Afghanistan.

Iran said it had hunted down one of its most dangerous enemies yesterday when the leader of the strongest ethnic opposition group was detained outside the country's borders.

Abdolmalek Rigi, who commands a Sunni guerrilla group styling itself Jundollah - meaning "army of God" - had been responsible for a string of attacks, mainly in the south-eastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan. Last October, the group killed more than 40 Iranians in a single bombing, including six senior commanders of the Revolutionary Guard. The incident appeared to show the group's increasing ability to challenge the regime.

Announcing the capture of Mr Rigi, the intelligence ministry alleged he had been present at a US base in neighbouring Afghanistan only 24 hours before his arrest. The government has consistently accused the US and Britain of supporting Jundollah, which is based in Pakistan.

Heydar Moslehi, the intelligence minister, said the US had given Mr Rigi an identity card and an Afghan passport so he could travel to some European countries and Dubai.

He did not say which country the security forces had entered to arrest Mr Rigi, but it was probably Pakistan or Afghanistan.

Jundollah, which seeks independence for the Baluchi minority, has resorted to savage killings, notably beheading one Iranian policeman in front of television cameras.

The British embassy in Tehran issued a statement condemning Mr Rigi as "a terrorist responsible for despicable attacks", adding: "His arrest by the Iranian authorities would be a blow against terrorism, which Britain unreservedly welcomes."

Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar, the interior minister, said Mr Rigi had been arrested outside Iran's borders and "transferred to inside the country". State television showed Mr Rigi surrounded by four members of Iran's security forces, all clad in black outfits with their faces covered.

Last year, 13 members of Jundollah were executed by the authorities. It was not clear whether Mr Rigi would also face the death penalty.

Peyman Forouzesh, a member of parliament from Sistan-Baluchestan, welcomed his capture, saying Jundollah's attacks had caused the "underdevelopment of the province".

He added that capturing Jundollah's leader meant the group had been "dismantled".

More than half of Iran's 70m people are Persians; the ethnic minorities include Azeris, Kurds, Arabs, Baluchis and Lurs.

Many have called for independence, but the regime faces the biggest challenges in Sistan-Baluchestan in the south-east and Kurdistan in the north-west.

While about 90 per cent of the population are Shia, most Kurds and Baluchis are Sunni and have a widespread sense of discrimination.

The intelligence ministry said Mr Rigi would be handed over to the judiciary after his interrogation was finished.
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