State media reported on Monday that Iranian security forces have apprehended eight foreign individuals as suspects following the arrest of a gunman responsible for a fatal shooting at a Shiite Muslim shrine. The incident occurred at the Shah Cheragh mausoleum in Shiraz, a holy site in Iran’s Fars province.
The chief justice of Fars province, Kazem Mousavi, stated that the arrested individuals are believed to be connected to the terrorist attack, but their nationalities were not disclosed.
The main suspect apprehended on Sunday night, identified as Rahmatollah Nowruzof from Tajikistan, was connected to the attack, which left one person dead and eight others wounded. The assault took place at the complex, resulting in shattered windows and bloodstains in the courtyard.
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, Mohammad Hadi Imanieh, the governor of Fars province, attributed the attack to the extremist Islamic State group. He indicated that the assailant aimed to avenge the execution of two terrorists convicted of a similar attack the previous year.
During a visit to the site on Monday, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi stated on state TV that the “terrorist” was collaborating with a network operating outside Iran. Last October, a mass shooting at the same shrine resulted in 13 fatalities and 30 injuries, a attack later claimed by IS.
On July 8, Iran carried out public hangings of two men who had been convicted of “corruption on earth, armed rebellion, and acting against national security,” according to Mizan. The executions were related to the killings that took place.
Three other individuals involved in the case received prison sentences of five, 15, and 25 years for their affiliation with the Islamic State (IS), as stated by Moussavi.
In November, Tehran announced the arrest of 26 “takfiri terrorists” from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan in connection with the mass shooting. In the context of Shiite-majority Iran, the term “takfiri” typically denotes jihadists or supporters of radical Sunni Islam.
The Shah Cheragh mausoleum, home to the tomb of Ahmad, brother of Imam Reza, the eighth Shiite imam, is revered as the holiest site in southern Iran.
Last year’s shooting incident coincided with nationwide protests that swept Iran, sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman arrested for an alleged breach of stringent dress regulations for women.
