The SSF stepped up suppression by introducing the so-called plan to combat "hooligans and thugs" for the first time in April of 2007 as part of a major drive to "boost public security."
Last July, commenting on the plan, Ahmadinejad said, “The nature of the work is that the government is defending with all its power the security measures to protect people in particular when dealing with hooligans, they all should defend [these measures]…” By referring to youths who were executed in previous weeks he said, “Every single one of these [young people] is like a dangerous bug, therefore, they should either be corrected or put in jail otherwise should do what has been done.”
Speaking about the so-called plan for public security, the State Security Forces commander, Brig. Gen. Ismail Ahmadi-Moqaddam said, “After dealing with those who organize corruption, corrupt people and those who disrupt order and spread corruption, the security forces announced that in pursuance of its efforts to establish security, the activities of those who are trying to justify corruption and in the name of time considerations, promote corruption, are under surveillance and will be dealt with,” reported the state-run daily Kayhan on July 25, 2007.