At least five people were killed and 15 wounded in a shooting attack on Wednesday in the southern Iranian city of Ize, state media reported.
Gunmen on motorbikes opened fire on passers-by and police this evening (local time) at the central market of Ize in Khuzestan province, the official IRNA news agency reported.
“A terrorist group used a protest demonstration” to carry out the attack, according to the state agency, which gave no further details about the attack. Among the five dead was a child, according to the ISNA agency.
In late October, another shooting took place at a mausoleum in the city of Shiraz, leaving 15 people dead. Iranian authorities have arrested 26 nationals from Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan for alleged involvement in that attack, which was claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State.
The shooting comes amid protests that have rocked Iran since the death of Masha Amini on Sept. 16 after she was detained three days earlier by police for allegedly wearing the Islamic headscarf incorrectly.
The mobilizations have intensified in the last two days, with demonstrations and strikes in memory of the 2019 protests sparked by fuel increases in which 300 people were killed, according to the NGO Amnesty International.
So far, five people have been sentenced to death for taking part in the protests, while around 2,000 have been charged with various offences. In addition, at least 326 people, including 43 minors, were killed in the police crackdown, according to the Oslo-based NGO Iran Human Rights.
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