A mass shooting by three terrorists at Iran’s Shah Cheragh shire in the city of Shiraz has left 15 people dead. Now a faction of ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement released on Telegram channels. The statement says that the trio had managed “killing at least 20 Shiites and wounded dozens of others” despite official reports claiming the death toll to be 15.
This was the first attack in the city of Shiraz, which is a popular tourist as well as religious destination, in 14 years. In 2008, the city saw 14 people dying as a result of a bomb blast in a mosque.
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The ISIS attack happened in the midst of ongoing protests in the country against the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amin. She was arrested for wearing the hijab in an apparently improper manner and later died in detention. The day of the attacks also marked the 40th day since Amin’s death.
Ahmad Vahidi, the country’s Interior Minister, has blamed the protestors of paving a path for the attacks.
Iran’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, released a statement after the attacks took place, where he vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. According to his statement, “Experience shows that Iran’s enemies, after failing to create a split in the nation’s united ranks, take revenge through violence and terror. This crime will definitely not go unanswered, and the security and law enforcement forces will teach a lesson to those who designed and carried out the attack”.
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Law enforcement officials were able to capture two of the three shooters, while one managed to escape.
Iranian news agency, Irna, published a number of photographs from the site, where one can see shredded glass, blood, and prayer beads all over the floors.