TEHRAN: Iran’s Intelligence Ministry has said its probe found no actual poisoning in the mass reports of students being poisoned at schools across the country.
The Ministry said on Friday in a statement published on its website that no toxic substance was found disseminated at schools after months of investigations into the incidents, during which suspects were either questioned or arrested and transferred to judicial authorities.
It added that the probe found no criminal groups were behind the poisoning cases, but dubious networks on social media which spread rumours to fuel fears and dissatisfaction among students’ parents, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Ministry noted these networks are either being or will be sued, claiming Iran’s enemy has played an evident and undeniable role in provoking turmoil.
During the past months, hundreds of students at dozens of schools across Iran were referred to medical centres with symptoms similar to those of poisoning. Most of the students said they had smelled either an unpleasant or a weird odour before the emergence of the symptoms. The first case was reported in Qom province on November 30, according to reports by Iranian media.
Most of the students were, however, soon released from the hospital after receiving treatment, according to the official news agency IRNA.