Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Thursday that “riots” unleashed after the death of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish citizen, in a context of protest demonstrations that have plagued Iran for more than a month, pave the way for terrorist attacks.
Raisi’s words are a response to the attack that took place on Wednesday in Shiraz, in southern Iran, against an important Shiite Muslim shrine, which left 15 dead and 19 wounded, an attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group, with the president Iranian accusing the ‘jihadist’ movement of being an ‘enemy’ of the country.
This Thursday, Iranian security forces shot dead a young man during a demonstration in Mahabad (west), announced the organization for the defense and promotion of human rights, based in Norway.
“A young Kurdish man was shot dead by Iranian security forces,” Hengaw wrote on Twitter, indicating that the victim was shot in the forehead.
Iran has been rocked by protests since the young Iranian Kurdish woman died on September 16, three days after she was detained in Tehran by so-called ‘customs police’, who accused her of violating a strict dress code, which includes wear the veil in public. .
Wednesday marked the end of the traditional 40-day mourning.
Amini remains at the center of the strong protests that have represented one of the biggest challenges to the order imposed by the Islamic Republic since, in 2009, the Green Movement demonstrations brought millions of people to the streets in dozens of cities, with young women marching publicly exposing their hair and, in some cases, cutting it.
The Iranian government has reacted with a strong crackdown and has blamed the demonstrations on foreign interference.
Human rights groups say that since the protests began more than a month ago, Iranian security forces have killed more than 200 people, including children.
Speaking today about the attack in Shiraz, Raisi said that the intention of Iran’s enemies is to “hinder the progress of the country”, so the riots and clashes pave the way for terrorist acts.
“[Os terroristas] he came to the Shahcheragh shrine and opened fire on innocent people who were in his prayers,” he added.
Already on Wednesday Raisi had accused “the enemies of Iran”, who seek to “divide the united ranks of the nation […] by violence and terror,” and promised a tough response from the security forces.
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for attacks in Iran since June 7, 2017, when gunmen and suicide bombers attacked the parliament and mausoleum of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini, in Tehran, killing 17 people.
“Only one terrorist was involved in the attack” on Wednesday, said the head of the local Judicial Authority, Kazem Moussavi, while images released by the official press showed bodies covered in blood or covered with sheets.
The author of the attack, “about 30 years old”, according to local authorities, “is linked to ‘takfiri’ groups and has been arrested,” Iranian state television reported, referring to jihadist groups or Sunni Islamic radicals.
The attack in Shiraz was the second deadly attack this year on a Shi’ite place of worship in Iran, a country of some 83 million people where Shi’ism has been the state religion since the 16th century.
Source: TSF
