Iran Court Sentences Two to Death Over Deadly Shrine Attack

Voice of America
19 Mar 2023, 02:06 GMT+10

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - An Iranian court has handed out death sentences to two men over an attack on a Shi'ite shrine in Iran that killed 15 people in October and was claimed by the militant group Islamic State, the official news agency IRNA reported on Saturday.

Fars Province judiciary head Kazem Mousavi said the two men had been found guilty of charges including 'spreading corruption on earth' and acting against national security, IRNA reported, adding that the sentences can be appealed.

CCTV footage broadcast on state TV showed the attacker entering the popular Shah Cheragh shrine in the southern city of Shiraz after hiding an assault rifle in a bag and shooting as worshippers tried to flee and hide in corridors.

The gunman, identified as a citizen of Tajikistan, later died in a hospital from injuries sustained during the attack.

The two men sentenced to death said during the trial they had been in contact with the Islamic State in neighboring Afghanistan and helped organize the attack, Iranian media reported.

Three other men received jail sentences ranging from five to 25 years in the trial, Mousavi said, adding that several other 'Daesh [Islamic State] suspects linked to this case' were awaiting trial.

Islamic State, which once posed a security threat across the Middle East, has claimed previous violence in Iran, including deadly twin attacks in 2017 that targeted parliament and the tomb of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Reuters
Subscribe

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Afghanistan Sun.

More Information

null in null

International

Section

Delta crash-landing probe finds dangerous descent before touchdown

Delta plane that flipped over in February showed high rate of descent

TORONTO, Canada: An initial investigation into last month's dramatic Delta Air Lines crash-landing in Toronto has revealed that the...

New York court blocks law allowing over 800,000 non-citizens to vote

New York City law allowing non-citizens to vote struck down by court

NEW YORK CITY, New York: New York State's highest court has struck down a law this week that would have allowed over 800,000 legal...

40 times more people killed in Gaza than in the 7 October attack

Gazan death toll now forty times that of 7 October 2023

The death toll in Gaza on the weekend has passed 50,000, local health authorities have reported. What started the carnage was the Hamas-led...

USDA pledges $100 million for bird flu research, vaccine development

USDA to invest up to $100 million in projects to combat bird flu

WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced plans to invest up to US$100 million in research to develop...

US HHS orders removal of gun violence public health advisory

US HHS drops advisory labeling gun violence a public health crisis

WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has removed a 2024 advisory from its website that called gun...

Regulatory hurdles may leave US behind China in autonomous tech

Trump urged to speed up self-driving car regulations

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Industry leaders are pushing the Trump administration to clear regulatory obstacles slowing the rollout of self-driving...

Central Asia

Section

US weighs broad travel ban covering dozens of countries

US government weighs travel ban on dozens of countries

WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration is considering strict new travel restrictions for citizens of dozens of countries, according...

Hoping good constructive discussion with sensible outcomes, says Congress MP Shashi Tharoor ahead of India-US trade discussions

New Delhi [India], March 25 (ANI): Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has expressed optimism ahead of the visit of an American delegation which...