It has been reported by local authorities and police in Iran that a senior cleric and former representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in an armed attack in Sistan-Baluchistan province.
According to foreign media, Ayatollah Abbas Ali Soleimani was shot dead by an unknown assailant in a bank in the northern city of Mazandaran, Babolsar.
At least three others were injured in the incident, according to the provincial governor’s office.
Soleimani was Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s representative in Sistan-Baluchistan province as well as a member of the Assembly of Experts, the powerful body for appointing the Supreme Leader.
Soleimani, who was also a former Friday imam in the cities of Zahedan and Kashan, was attacked by an armed man, local media reported, citing the Mazandaran province governor’s office.
According to the governor’s office, the attacker was immediately arrested. His identity or the motive behind the attack have not yet been revealed.
Governor Syed Mohammad Hosseinpour said that the incident took place at around 10:30 am local time. The motive of the attacker is still unclear. The assailant was a private security guard at a bank and did not know the deceased scholar.
Noor News, affiliated with Iran’s top security agency, said in a tweet that relevant agencies are investigating the dimensions of his murder.
Top political officials are yet to comment on the incident.