A spy working for an Arab state's intelligence agency was arrested by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) troops as he was nearing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's chopper, Fars News reported.
"A person with known identity who is linked with the spy service of an Arab state has been arrested by the Sabzevar (city) Corps," a statement released by the IRGC public relations announced on Sunday afternoon.
"During interrogations, the arrested individual has confessed to his links with the citizens of an Arab country and transfer of sensitive information to them," the statement added.
It also mentioned that the spy has been equipped with information transmission tools and equipment.
The statement also said that the spy had penetrated the protected landing area of President Ahmadinejad's helicopter during his recent visit to the city of Sabzevar in the Eastern Khorassan Razavi province, when he was identified and arrested.
The statement also said that the IRGC forces have discovered and seized a cache of ammunition, weapons and military and telecommunication tools and equipment in the operation.
Iran has arrested over 40 American and Israeli spies during the last year. In April Iran's Intelligence Ministry announced that its forces had discovered and disbanded a large and sophisticated Israeli terror and sabotage network after months of operations.
The Iranian Intelligence Ministry said in a statement that its forces "have discovered one of the biggest terror and sabotage networks of the Quds Occupying Regime (Israel) and protected cells of its operatives and arrested groups of criminal terrorists and mercenaries cooperating with them".
The statement also mentioned that the successful operation of the Iranian intelligence forces could foil several terrorist attacks in Iran in the days to come since "a number of operating cells of this terror network were arrested as they were preparing for new terrorist operations".
Edited by: S. Isayev