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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Rachel Hagan

Gunmen open fire at shrine and crowd of Iranian mourners killing at least 15

Armed men attacked a Shi'ite Muslim shrine and a crowd of mourners killing at least 15 people in Iran.

In the Iranian city of Shiraz at least 15 people died, state news agency IRNA said, as security forces clashed with protesters at the Shah Cheragh Shrine, who were marking 40 days since the Mahsa Amini died after being beaten into a coma by security.

Earlier in the day, an attack took place when Iranian security forces opened fire at mourners who gathered in Ms Amini's Kurdish home town of Saqez.

Ms Amini, 22, was detained by the morality police in Iran's capital, Tehran, on September 13 for allegedly wearing her hijab "improperly".

She fell into a coma after collapsing at a detention centre and died three days later, with multiple reports and CCTV footage suggesting officers beat her on the head with a baton.

An unveiled woman standing on top of a vehicle as thousands make their way towards Aichi cemetery in Saqez (UGC/AFP via Getty Images)

Police deny that she was mistreated and Iran has been engulfed in protests since by women who have shown outrage at her death which could have been prevented.

Women have been taking to the streets and ripping off their headscarves in solidarity, in protest which has posed the most serious challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.

A wide range of Iranians have come out onto the streets, with some calling for the downfall of the Islamic Republic and chanting "Death to (Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei".

A demonstrator shouts slogans during a protest against the Iranian regime (REUTERS)

"The riot police shot mourners who gathered at the cemetery for Mahsa's memorial ceremony ... dozens have been arrested," one witness said to Reuters about the attack in Saqez.

Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency said about 10,000 people had gathered at the cemetery and as soon as clashes between mourners and security forces took place the internet connection was cut off.

Mahsa Amini, 22, was killed after apparently not wearing a hijab correctly (Newsflash)

It is unclear who was behind the attack, with many conflicting reports but the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency claimed that the attackers acted like “takfiri terrorists”, in reference to groups such as ISIS.

Another news outlet affiliated with Iran's top security body, Nour, said militants who carried out a "terrorist attack" on the shrine in Shiraz, are not Iranian nationals.

Aichi cemetery in Saqez, Mahsa Amini's home town (UGC/AFP via Getty Images)

State media claims the attackers were "Takfiri-Wahhabi", referring to hardline, armed, Sunni Islamist groups.

The Tasnim news agency said several women and children were among the dead and while two of the attackers have been caught, one is still on the run.

“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,”Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabbari said.

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