Iran police arrest 'bomber' plotting attacks in Tehran

Iranian police said Wednesday they had arrested a man plotting bomb attacks in the capital, calling him a "suicide bomber" linked to "opponents" of the Islamic republic.

The man was arrested last week carrying "a handgun and explosives" at a tollbooth on entry to Tehran, the city's police chief General Hossein Rahimi said, according to Iribnews, the state television site.

Police were alerted by the driver of the taxi that the unnamed suspect was travelling into the city, but police "deactivated" the explosives and arrested him.

Rahimi said the man had planned to "sabotage several places in Tehran," but gave no details of potential targets.

Iran has been the target of several attacks in recent years, including by suicide bombers, mostly claimed by extremist Sunni groups.