Abdolmalek Rigi ( ; also spelt ''Abdul-Malek Rigi'' or ''Abdulmalik Rigi'') ( bal, عبدالمالک ریگی) ( – 20 June 2010) was the leader of
Jundallah, a terrorist group based in the
Sistan and Balochistan Province of southeast
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. In 2010, he was captured and executed by the Iranian government.
Early life and education
Born in 1979,
Abdolmalek Rigi was from the Rigi tribe who are ethnic
Baloch
Baloch, also spelled Baloch, Beluch and in other ways, may refer to:
* Baloch people, an ethnic group of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan
* Baluch, a small itinerant community of Afghanistan
* Balouch, Azad Kashmir, a town in Pakistan
* Baloch (s ...
. Prior to founding Jundallah, while a teenager, Rigi was convicted of assault with a knife, for which he served time in prison.
Although lacking any formal secular education,
Rigi had been educated at
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
's
Binnori Town seminary
Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia ( ur, , ''Jāmi‘ah ‘Ulūm-i Islāmīyah'' / , ''Jāmi‘atul-‘Ulūmul-Islāmīyah'') is an Islamic University in Banoori Town, Karachi, Pakistan. The university continues the tradition of the Darul Uloom system i ...
, a
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
Madrasah
Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...
which was school to many of the
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
leaders.
Alleged activities
Starting in 2007, there has been considerable controversy over their support and international ties. Jundallah is believed by many experts to be linked to
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...
. There are also claims that Jundallah has had contact with the U.S. government and receives funding from Baluchi Iranians abroad.
[Car bomb in Iran destroys a bus carrying Revolutionary Guards]
The New York Times
Dan Rather's U.S. cable channel
HDnet
AXS TV is an American cable television channel. Majority-owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, it is devoted primarily to music-related programming (such as concert films, documentaries, and reality series involving musicians) and combat sport ...
's television news magazine ''Dan Rather Reports'', interviewed Rigi and showed a video of Rigi personally cutting off his brother in-law's head. In the same interview, Rigi described himself as "an Iranian" and denied that his goal was to form a separate Baluch state. He claimed that his goal was to "improve conditions for ethnic Baluchis", and that his group was "fighting exclusively for the rights of Sunni Muslims in Iran".
[HDNet Original Programming - Transcripts](_blank)
According to a former hostage , Rigi never slept in one place for two consecutive nights and did not shake hands with other people without wearing gloves. He was also reported to emulate
Al-Zarqawi in his conduct and videos of hostage executions.
The Iranian newspaper ''
Kayhan
''Kayhan'' ( fa, کيهان, '' en, The Cosmos'') is a newspaper published in Tehran, Iran. It is considered "the most conservative Iranian newspaper." Hossein Shariatmadari is the editor-in-chief of ''Kayhan''. According to the report of the '' ...
'' incorrectly reported on 7 April 2005 that Rigi had been killed in an operation on the border to Afghanistan. A video surfaced on 11 April 2005, showing Rigi alive. Rigi's brother Abdulhamid Rigi accused his brother of working with Americans against Iran. Iranian authorities claimed that Rigi had murdered an Iranian general and carried out terrorist attacks in Iran.
These allegations led to his arrest in February 2010.
[
]
2010 arrest
There are two conflicting versions of Rigi's arrest. According to the Iranian government, on 23 February 2010, Rigi was aboard a flight from Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
, United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
to Bishkek
Bishkek ( ky, Бишкек), ), formerly Pishpek and Frunze, is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. The region surrounds the city, although the city itself is not part of ...
, Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east. ...
, travelling with a forged Afghanistan passport. When the plane was crossing the Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
, Iranian fighter jets intercepted it. The Iranian jets ordered the pilot to land in Iranian territory and "a number of foreign passengers were forcibly removed." When the plane landed at Bandar Abbas International Airport
Bandar Abbas International Airport ( fa, فرودگاه بین المللی بندرعباس) is an international airport located in 12 kilometers east of the city of Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, in southern Iran. The airport has flight con ...
, Iranian forces identified Rigi and arrested him. After his arrest, Iranian TV showed Rigi, with hands tied, being escorted by four masked Iranian commandos.
Execution
On 20 June 2010, Iranian and international media reported that Rigi had been hanged in Evin Prison in Tehran. The Islamic Republic News Agency stated that the execution was carried out following a decision of the Tehran revolutionary tribunal. It quoted a court statement saying: "The head of the armed counter-revolutionary group in the east of the country was responsible for armed robbery, assassination attempts, armed attacks on the army and police and on ordinary people, and murder." His execution was described as a "severe blow" to Jundullah.
Rigi was buried in Khavaran cemetery in southeast Tehran.
An Iranian drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
, ''When the Moon Was Full
''When the Moon Was Full'' ( fa, شبی که ماه کامل شد, italic=yes) is a 2019 Iranian drama film written and directed by Narges Abyar. The film is based on the true story of the brother and sister-in-law of Abdolmalek Rigi, the form ...
'', written and directed by Narges Abyar
Narges Abyar ( fa, نرگس آبیار, born 8 August 1970) is an Iranian film director, author and screenwriter, best known for directing '' Track 143'', ''Breath'', and ''When the Moon Was Full''. The film Track 143 is adapted from Abyar's novel ...
, was released in 2019. It is based on the story of Rigi's brother and sister-in-law.
See also
* 2009 Zahedan explosion
* 2010 Zahedan mosque bombings
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rigi, Abdolmalek
1970s births
2010 deaths
Iranian Sunni Muslims
People executed by Iran by hanging
Terrorism in Iran
Baloch politicians
Sunni Islamists
Iranian criminals
21st-century executions by Iran
Executed Iranian people
Jundallah (Iran)
Iranian rebels
Baloch militants
People from Zahedan
Iranian expatriates in Pakistan
Leaders of Islamic terror groups
Iranian murderers
Inmates of Evin Prison
Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia alumni