TEHRAN: A shooting at a shrine in Iran’s south killed at least four people, less than a year after a similar attack on the same site.

“Four people have been killed so far following a terrorist attack by two armed men on the holy shrine of Shah Cheragh” in Shiraz, the capital of Fars province, official news agency IRNA reported.

One of the suspected assailants was arrested while the other went on the run, according to Tasnim news agency. Fars province governor Mohamed Hadi Imanieh told state TV that the attack occurred around 7 pm (1530 GMT).

Footage carried by state TV showed ambulances rushing to the site of the attack.

Iranian media outlets provided different figures concerning the number of casualties. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

The Shah Cheragh mausoleum is home to the tomb of Ahmad, brother of Imam Reza and is considered the holiest site in southern Iran. On Oct 26, a mass shooting at the shrine left 13 people dead and 30 wounded, in an attack later claimed by the militant Islamic State (IS) group.

Iran hanged two men in public over the October attack, the Mizan Online website reported last month.

Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2023