- Officials say gunmen dressed as women storm parliament
- Ending hours-long siege, security forces kill all four attackers
- Amaq agency claims Islamic State fighters carried out attack
Gunmen and suicide bombers attacked Iran’s parliament – the Majlis – and the shrine of revered revolutionary leader Ruhollah Khomeini on Wednesday, killing at least 12 people, wounding dozens and igniting an hours-long siege at the legislature that ended with four attackers dead.
Quoted by an Iranian state-run news website, Iran’s Emergency Department head Pirhossein Kolivand said that 12 people were killed and 42 wounded in the two attacks. The Islamic State militant group claimed the attacks Iran. Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said that a third attack was foiled.
Iran’s counter-terrorism unit also said that one of the attackers at the shrine had been neutralized, in addition to the bomber. The attacks began mid-morning when assailants armed with Kalashnikov rifles stormed the parliament building. The Majlis is Iran’s principal legislative body and it has 290 members, including Christians, Zoroastrians and Jews.
One of the attackers later blew himself up inside, where a session had been in progress, according to a statement by Iran’s state TV. Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Hossein Zolfaghari said that the apparently male attackers wore women’s attire. A semi-official news agency reported the siege had ended with four of the attackers killed.
The Aamaq news agency released a 24-second video purportedly shot inside the parliament building during the siege. The video, circulated online, shows a gunman and a bloody, lifeless body of a man lying on the ground next to a desk. A voice on the video says in Arabic: “Do you think we will leave? We will remain.” Another voice repeats the same words.
TV footage showed several police snipers on the rooftops of buildings around the parliament. Shops in the area were shuttered, and gunfire could be heard. Witnesses said the attackers were shooting from the fourth floor of the parliament building down at people in the streets below. “I was passing by one of the streets. I realised people are hiding and lying down on the streets,” said Ebrahim Ghanimi, who was around the parliament building when the assailants stormed in.
Police helicopters circled over the parliament building and all mobile phone lines from inside were disconnected. The semi-official ISNA news agency said that all the entrance and exit gates at the parliament were closed and that lawmakers and reporters were ordered to remain in place inside the chamber during the siege.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani called the attack a cowardly act. “Iran is an active and effective pillar in the fight against terrorists and they want to damage it,” he said. Soon after the parliament attack, a suicide bomber and other assailants targeted the shrine of Ayatollah Khomeini located just outside Tehran, according to Iran’s official state broadcaster.
It said a security guard was killed and that one of the attackers was killed by security guards. A woman was also arrested. Khomeini, who died in 1989, is a towering figure in Iran. He led the 1979 revolution that toppled the ruler and became Iran’s first supreme leader. The TV footage showed security forces, some uniformed and others in plainclothes, around the large and ornate shrine.
IS often claims attacks around the world, even when links to the group cannot be confirmed and appear dubious. Iranian security officials have not said who they suspect is behind the attacks, though the state media has referred to the attackers as terrorists. The unusual attacks prompted the Interior Ministry to call for an urgent security meeting. Officials at one point urged people to avoid using public transportation until further notice.
SYMBOLIC ATTACK: The attackers chose symbolically significant targets for their assault. The tomb houses the body of Ayatollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republic’s founder and first supreme leader, and it is a popular destination for tourists and followers. He led the revolution that overthrew the Iranian ruler in 1979 and was a supreme leader for 10 years.
Pakistan condemns: Pakistan on Wednesday strongly condemned terrorist attacks on Iranian parliament and the shrine of revered revolutionary leader Ruhollah Khomeini in which, reportedly, precious lives of innocent people have been lost.
“We stand in solidarity with the people of Iran in their hour of grief,” Foreign Office stated in a statement here. “We offer our deep condolences to the people of Iran, government, and the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of those injured.”
Pakistan condemns terrorism, which is a global phenomenon and common challenge, requiring resolute and coordinated approach to deal with the menace, the statement concluded.
