begin quote from:
ISIS claims twin attacks in Iran that left 12 dead
Iran attacks: Twin assaults on parliament and shrine rock Tehran
Story highlights
- Attackers stormed Iranian parliament and carried out suicide bombing
- Simultaneous gun and suicide bomb attack targeted the Ayatollah Khomeini shrine
- ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, but offered no evidence
Tehran, Iran (CNN)Attackers
have mounted simultaneous gun and suicide bomb assaults on Iran's
parliament building and the tomb of the republic's revolutionary
founder, in one of the most audacious assaults to hit Tehran in decades.
At
least 12 people were killed and dozens more injured in the twin
assaults on the Iranian capital, state media reported. A third attack
was foiled, Iran's Intelligence Ministry said.
ISIS
issued a swift claim of responsibility. Its media wing, Amaq, claimed
"fighters with the Islamic State" carried out the attack, but did not
offer evidence.
By
choosing the burial site of Iran's revered revolutionary leader, and
the national legislative forum, the attackers picked highly symbolic
targets.
The
attack shocked Tehran: Until now, Iran has largely escaped the regular
assaults launched against other participants in Syria's civil war. In a
region plagued by sectarian violence, residents of the Iranian capital
have lived in a peaceful oasis.
The
violence unfolded at about 10 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET) when gunmen
apparently dressed as women stormed the main gate of the parliament
building in central Tehran and opened fire, Iran's Deputy Interior
Minister Mohammad Hossein Zolfaghari told state television.
The
attackers took a number of hostages and at least one detonated a
suicide bomb. Sporadic gunfire was heard before Iranian authorities
declared the situation under control about four hours later. All four
attackers were killed by security forces, the semi-official Fars news
agency reported.
At
the same time as the parliament attack was launched, a shooting spree
and suicide bombing targeted the Ayatollah Khomeini mausoleum about 25
kilometers (15 miles) away, on the southern outskirts of the Iranian
capital. Fars reported that one person was arrested at the tomb.
A video still apparently showing the moment a bomb was detonated at the Ayatollah Khomeini shrine.
CNN
has not independently verified the number of victims in both attacks
and it was not immediately clear whether the number of dead included the
suicide bombers.
Attack is 'minor issue'
Iran's
counter-terrorism unit said that several "terrorist groups" had been
able to enter Tehran, though it did not say where they were from.
Members of another group had been apprehended.
He
said that one of the attackers at the shrine had been "neutralized," in
addition to the suicide bomber, and that the attackers at parliament
have been surrounded.
An Iranian police officer helping people flee parliament during an attack in Tehran, Iran, on Wednesday.
The speaker of the Iranian parliament, Ali Larijani, attempted to play down the attack, describing it as a "minor issue."
"As you know, some coward terrorists infiltrated a building ... but they were seriously confronted," he said in a statement.
"This is a minor issue but reveals that the terrorists pursue trouble-making."
Symbolic attack
The
attackers chose symbolically significant targets for their assault. The
tomb houses the body of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Islamic
Republic's founder and first supreme leader, and it is a popular
destination for tourists and pilgrims. He led the revolution that
overthrew the Shah in 1979 and was supreme leader for 10 years.
The
parliament, the Islamic Consultative Assembly or Majlis, is Iran's
principal legislative body. It has 290 members, including women, and
there are representatives of religious minorities including Christians,
Zoroastrians and Jews.
Gun ownership is heavily controlled in Iran, raising speculation that the attackers smuggled weapons into the country.
Last major attack in 2010
Iran
-- with its largely Shiite population -- has been involved in military
actions against Sunni terrorist groups such as ISIS, who regard Shiites
as apostates, but such terror attacks in the country are rare.
Last year, Iran's government said it thwarted "one of the biggest plots" by terror groups targeting Tehran and other major cities during the month of Ramadan. This year's holy month started almost two weeks ago on May 26.
Iranian soldiers stand guard near parliament during the attack Wednesday.
The last major attack in Iran was in 2010 when a Sunni extremist group carried out a suicide attack
against a mosque in Sistan-Baluchistan killing 39 people. Kurdish
groups have carried out small scale attacks against Iranian security
forces in the north-west of the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment