At least four people were killed and several injured in a suspected terrorist attack Sunday on the Shah Cheragh shrine, a major pilgrimage site in the Iranian city of Shiraz, according to state media sources.
The Tasnim news agency reported that two gunmen had attempted to enter the shrine and opened fire on visitors. One of the attackers was now in custody while the other had managed to flee.
This is not the first attack at the site, with an INC-claimed assault there in October resulting in thirteen fatalities. No group had yet taken responsibility for this attack.
IRNA, the official Iranian news agency, confirmed four people had so far been killed due to the terrorist attack carried out by two armed men. Fars news agency reported that the men had attempted to enter the shrine through Bab al-Mahdi door, but were confronted by protection forces and resistance.
Armed gunmen opened fire at the entrance of the revered shrine complex of Imam Ali al-Rida in Iran’s northeastern city of Mashhad, wounding at least seven people. Reports state that security forces were able to confront the assailants and corner one of them, who then began firing indiscriminately at the site resulting in injuries being sustained by innocent bystanders. The tomb of two of Imams sons are housed within the heavily guarded shrine complex, located in Northeastern Iran, and visited by thousands of Shi’ite pilgrims each year.
State TV reported that images taken at the scene show evidence of multiple bullet holes on the entrance of the complex, which had been immediately sealed off by authorities to protect public safety. In response to such threats, Iranian authorities last month executed two people suspected of being involved in the attack while three more defendants were sentenced to up to 25 years in prison due to their ties with the Islamic State group.
This isn’t Iran’s first brush with terrorism as the country also reported twin bombings near the Parliament and tomb of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini back in 2017 that were claimed by IS. These attacks highlight the importance for world leaders to acknowledge and actively work towards developing better counterterrorism methods and strategies to protect civilians from such threats.