DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A soldier shot dead three police officers and a comrade at a roadside police station in southern Iran on Sunday, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
The violence erupted near the town of Bampour, some 1,260 kilometers south-east of the capital Tehran in the troubled province of Sistan and Balochistan.
The southeastern province was gripped by unrest on Friday, prompting a deadly response from security forces and an activist group who claimed they had killed at least 16 people.
It came in the seventh week of anti-government protests sparked by the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested after allegedly flouting the country’s strict dress code for women.
Tasnim quoted a local police commander to report that the soldier opened fire after an argument with another soldier over personal issues. The soldier was arrested immediately. There were no further details.
Get the daily Times of Israel by email and never miss our headlines again
By registering you agree to the terms
Such shootings are rare in Iran. In 2016, a soldier killed himself after shooting three of his comrades. Military service of up to 24 months is compulsory for men aged 19 and over in Iran.
#Iran- A soldier shot dead three police officers and a fellow officer at a roadside police station.
The violence erupted near the town of Bampour, about 1,260 kilometers (780 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran in the troubled province of Sistan and Balochistan
???? pic.twitter.com/wVLX8rYEPn— Mete Sohtaoğlu (@metesohtaoglu) November 6, 2022
Separately, Tasnim reported on Sunday that a “terrorist” was killed in an attack by two attackers on an elite paramilitary Revolutionary Guard station in the city of Mahshahr in the southwestern province of Khuzestan. There were no further details.
Protests that engulfed the country after Amini’s death initially focused on the state-mandated headscarf, or hijab. But they quickly turned into one of the greatest challenges to the government since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Protesters are chanting for the overthrow of clerical rule and the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Security forces, including paramilitary volunteers from the Revolutionary Guard, have cracked down on the demonstrations, killing more than 300 people, including 41 children, according to Oslo-based Iran Human Rights.
You are an engaged reader
That’s why we launched the Times of Israel ten years ago, to provide discerning readers like you with essential coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news agencies, we have not set up a paywall. However, as the journalism we do is expensive, we invite readers who have found The Times of Israel important to support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For just $6 a month, you can support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREEas well as access exclusive content only available to members of the Times of Israel Community.
Many Thanks,
David Horovitz, founding editor of the Times of Israel
Join our community Join our community Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this