Iran denies link to deadly Tajikistan car-ramming

Tehran criticizes local police for blaming it for attack that kills 4 tourists, saying: ‘We condemn all terrorist acts all over the world’

By AFP 31 July 2018, 9:08 pm 1

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This image grab taken from an AFPTV video shows a general view of a press conference addressed by Tajik Minister of the Interior Ramazon Hamro Rahimzoda in Dushanbe on July 30, 2018, after four tourists were killed in Tajikistan by armed attackers on July 29. (AFP PHOTO / AFPTV / Shodmon Kholov)

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran on Tuesday denied accusations by Tajikistan police that it was partly responsible for an attack that killed four tourists in the former Soviet republic.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran denies any link with this terrorist attack and categorically denies that there is any military base to train terrorists inside Iran,” said foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi, quoted by the Mehr news agency.

“We condemn all terrorist acts all over the world, including the recent attack on foreign tourists in Tajikistan,” he said.

Two Americans, a Dutch and a Swiss citizen were killed Sunday about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the capital Dushanbe, after being struck by a car and attacked on a popular cycling route.

The Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility but this was rejected by Tajikistan police, who blamed a banned Islamist opposition party that it said had undergone “military sabotage” training in Iran.