At Least 15 Dead As Gunmen Open Fire At Worshipers In Iran’s Shiraz: Report

A total of 15 people were killed and 40 others were injured in an attack on a Shia religious shrine Iranian city of Shiraz.

Police forces secure the area (Source: File photo/AFP)

A total of 15 people were killed and 40 others were injured in an attack on a Shia religious shrine Iranian city of Shiraz, as reported by the news agency AFP. According to the official website of the judiciary, two gunmen have been arrested while the third is absconding in connection with the attack.

According to the state news agency 'IRNA', 15 people have died while according to state TV, 40 people have also been injured.

According to a report by the Fars News Agency, around 2:15 p.m. local time, three gunmen armed with Kalashnikov rifles opened indiscriminate fire at pilgrims outside the famous shrine in the historic city of Shiraz, the provincial capital of Fars. The agency quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the attackers were in a car and shot the pilgrims and staff at the entrance of Shah Cherag's shrine.

“This is a very rare incident to be taking place at a very important time in Iran when security is at high alert given the number of protests that have been taking place across the country,” said Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabbari, reporting from Tehran.

The attack in Iran comes at a time when anti-government agitations have been going on in the country for a month demanding independence.

At the same time, thousands of protesters took to the streets of the country's north-western city to mark 40 days of the custodial death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who died after she was detained by the country’s morality police for wearing “improper hijab”.

According to government-linked media, 10,000 protesters were involved in the procession leading to Amini's grave. The women took off their hijabs and swung them in the air over their heads.