(Bloomberg) --
Several people in Iran have been arrested over a wave of suspected poison attacks at girls' schools that have hospitalized thousands of students since they were first reported four months ago, a senior government official said.
Deputy Interior Minister Majid Mirahmadi didn't give a precise number for those detained and told Iranian state TV on Tuesday that the arrests were made in five different provinces, without being specific.
He said the incidents — which have sparked fresh protests at a time when Iran's Islamic leadership faces unprecedented levels of popular dissent — have dropped significantly since Monday.
Mirahmadi's statement comes a day after Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, addressed the attacks for the first time and called them a “big crime” that should be “severely punished.”
Iran Supreme Leader Calls Wave of School Poisonings ‘Big Crime'
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