Iran on Sunday executed a man accused of carrying a chainsaw during anti-government protests earlier this year and charged with acting as an agent of Israel and the United States.

The judiciary said Majid Adineh had been convicted of “operational action in favour of hostile groups.”

According to the judiciary’s Mizan Online website, Adineh was found guilty of deliberate arson, gathering and collusion with the intention of committing crimes against the country’s internal security. The Karaj Revolutionary Court sentenced him to death and ordered the confiscation of all his property.

An appeal against the verdict was unsuccessful, and the Supreme Court upheld the decision.

The execution was carried out on Sunday morning. Adineh and another suspect were arrested on January 9 in Alborz province, west of Tehran, while allegedly carrying a revolver, ammunition, tasers, tear gas canisters, a rechargeable chainsaw and a bottle of gasoline.

The protests began in late December over high living costs and evolved into widespread anti-government demonstrations that peaked on January 8 and 9.

Iranian authorities reported more than 3,000 deaths from the unrest, which they attributed to “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel.

The number of executions in Iran has risen since the start of the Middle East war that broke out in late February. Human rights groups reported that Iran executed at least 1,639 people last year, a record high since 1989.