“Given Ruhollah Zam and his family’s residence in France and his protection by the country’s intelligence service, the arrest of this opposition element has caused criticisms against the French government and intelligence service,” the report said.

The report noted that the French media outlets, especially Le Monde and Le Figaro, have launched a propaganda campaign to divert the public opinion from the Zam arrest.

“In the articles and reports having been published in the past month by the French media, the French intelligence services’ warnings to Zam about leaving the country have been highlighted. Efforts are being made to portray Zam’s negligence to the warnings as the reason behind his arrest,” the report said.

It added that the French media use lies and fake news to prove their claim.

“It seems that the French media are being guided by the General Directorate for Internal Security of France,” it added.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps announced on October 14 that it had arrested Zam during a complicated intelligence operation, which involved luring him back to Iran.

Zam launched Amad News in 2015. The channel frequently posted fake news stories and called for violence with the aim of overthrowing the Islamic Republic system.

During the protest rallies in December 2018, he urged the people to take arms against the government.

Amad News was suspended by the messaging app Telegram last year after Iran accused it of carrying calls for violence during protests that started in late 2017 and continued across the country. But the channel soon reappeared under a new name.

In its statement, the IRGC said Zam was supported by intelligence agencies of certain countries, including France, the U.S., and Israel.

Brigadier General Ramazan Sharif, the spokesman for the IRGC, said in October that most members of Zam’s network have been identified.

“Given the process of intelligence monitoring and controlling of this mercenary element for a long time, most members of Zam’s network have been identified and there is relatively certain access to domestic elements helping this anti-Revolution network and foreign agencies supporting it, and there is not much need for the conventional confessions by the aforementioned,” Sharif explained.

Major General Hossein Salami, chief of the IRGC, issued a statement in October saying the arrest of Zam has astounded foreign intelligence services. He said the IRGC Intelligence Organization’s initiative foiled the enemy’s psychological war against Iran.

He said Amad News was operating with the aim of launching street riots, fomenting discord between the elite and authorities, publishing disinformation and rumors, and propagating pessimism and hopelessness among people.

General Salami also thanked Iranian scholars, authorities, commanders, and people for their congratulatory messages after Zam’s arrest.

The post More on French intelligence service after Zam got caught appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference in Tehran on Tuesday, Gholam Hossein Esmaeili expressed his gratitude to the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization for the “precision” operation to arrest the counter-revolutionary figure. Iran News covers the report about the information gained by Zam arrest.

He further rejected claims that some government officials have been arrested due to their possible connection with Zam and said, “So far, no one in the administration, Judiciary, Armed Forces or elsewhere has been arrested…”

He further advised political groups “not to point a finger of blame at each other” for links with Zam, who was the admin of the website “www.amadnews.org” and Telegram channel “Amadnews”.

“Of course, we obtained invaluable information on this issue, but no new arrests have been made since Ruhollah Zam’s arrest,” the spokesman added.

Last week, the IRGC announced in a statement that in a “complicated” operation, it had managed to arrest the administrator of a website “directed and supported by France’s intelligence service”.

The IRGC emphasized that Zam had been running extensive psychological warfare in recent years with direct logistical support of foreign intelligence services and counter-revolutionary agents outside the country in order to sow discord inside Iran, stoke Iranophobia, disseminate lies, foment doubt among the younger generation about religious beliefs, prepare the ground for acts of violence and terror and create chaos and unrest inside the country.

“This evil mercenary element” was busted during a “sophisticated” intelligence operation, according to the IRGC statement.

“Despite being under the guidance of the French intelligence service and the support of the US and Zionist intelligence services…, and being guarded round the clock by various means and covers, he fell into a trap laid by… the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization,” the statement read.

Amadnews was suspended by the messaging app Telegram last year after Iran accused it of carrying calls for violence during protests that started in late 2017 and continued across the country. But the channel soon reappeared under a new name.

The post Invaluable Information Obtained with Zam Arrest appeared first on Iran News Daily.