Iranian authorities reported the arrest of eight foreign suspects following the apprehension of a gunman involved in a fatal shooting at a Shiite Muslim shrine.
The incident took place at the Shah Cheragh mausoleum in Shiraz, the capital of Fars province in southern Iran.
Less than a year ago, the same site was the scene of a mass shooting, subsequently claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.
Fars province chief justice Kazem Mousavi disclosed, “Eight individuals believed to have connections with the terrorist attack have been taken into custody.” Mousavi confirmed that all those detained were foreigners, although he provided no further details.
The prime suspect, identified as Rahmatollah Nowruzof from Tajikistan, was apprehended on Sunday evening shortly after the attack.
Sunday’s shooting resulted in the death of one individual and left eight others wounded. The attack left shattered windows and bloodstains in a courtyard of the complex.
While no group immediately claimed responsibility, Fars provincial governor Mohammad Hadi Imanieh attributed the act to IS extremists. He asserted that the perpetrator sought vengeance for the execution of two terrorists who had been hanged for their involvement in the prior year’s shooting at the shrine.
“terrorist” had collaborated with networks beyond Iran
Meanwhile, on a subsequent visit to the site, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi revealed that the “terrorist” had collaborated with a network operating beyond Iran.
The European Union and several countries, including Iraq, Russia, and France, have condemned the shooting and extended their condolences. Baghdad’s foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed al-Sahhaf emphasized Iraq’s rejection of “terrorism in all its forms” and expressed solidarity with the global effort to combat it.
In October of the previous year, a mass shooting at the same shrine led to the deaths of 13 individuals and injuries to 30 others. IS later claimed responsibility for that attack.
Following the conviction of two men on charges of “corruption on earth, armed rebellion, and acting against national security,” Iran publicly executed them on July 8. In connection to the same case, three other defendants received prison sentences ranging from five to 25 years for their affiliation with IS.
Moreover, in November, Iranian authorities announced the arrest of 26 “takfiri terrorists” from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan in connection with the earlier mass shooting. In Iran, the term “takfiri” generally refers to proponents of radical Sunni Islam or jihadists.
The Shah Cheragh mausoleum is home to the tomb of Ahmad, brother of Imam Reza, the eighth Shiite imam, and is considered a sacred site in southern Iran.
The shooting in the previous year coincided with nationwide protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been arrested for allegedly violating strict dress regulations for women.
