Iran executes two men over shooting attack at shrine

Iran has publicly executed two people over a Daesh attack on a Shia shrine in the city of Shiraz last year.

According to Iran’s judiciary, the two men – Mohammed Ramez Rashidi and Naeem Hashem Qatali – were publicly executed by hanging in the early hours of Saturday after their sentences were confirmed by the Supreme Court.

The attack on the Shah Cheragh shrine in the province of Fars took place on 26 October 2022, in which footage from security cameras showed a lone gunman entering with an automatic rifle and opening fire while making his way to the main compound.

He shot numerous pilgrims and staff, killing 13 people and injuring 40, before he was killed by Iranian security forces.

Following the incident, Daesh admitted responsibility for the attack in a video released through its official Amaq News Agency.

According to media reports, the gunman – reportedly from Tajikistan – had been in contact with Daesh operatives in Afghanistan prior to the attack, and had been given the rifle and transported to the Shia holy site.

Security forces conducted a wave of arrests of individuals allegedly connected to the attack, with the two aforementioned executed men sentenced to death and three other men receiving prison sentences.

READ: Iran executed 354 people in first half of 2023, rights group reports