Conflicting Reports from Government Media on the Attack at Shahcheragh; Arrest of Several Foreign Nationals

One day after the armed attack on Shahcheragh, government media have published conflicting reports about the details of the attack. In a news report published by Tasnim News Agency on Monday morning, the arrest of '10 suspects' by security forces in Fars province was announced, but it was emphasized that 'operations to identify other perpetrators are ongoing.' However, the Mizan News Agency, the media outlet of the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic, reported on Monday that the number of detainees was 8 and stated that all of them are foreign nationals. Hours later, the head of the judiciary in Fars province also stated: 'All detainees are foreign nationals.' Additionally, two different names for the assailant have been published. While Tasnim initially identified the arrested assailant as 'S. Aslam Yar,' of Tajik descent from Badakhshan province, Mizan News Agency later announced the assailant's name as Rahmatullah Noorozov. Tasnim later changed the assailant's name to Rahmatullah Noorozov. Iranian news agencies reported on the evening of Sunday, August 13, about the attack by 'several armed assailants' on Shahcheragh. According to officials, at least 9 people were shot in this attack, with one death officially reported at the time of this report. The custodian of Shahcheragh also stated that 'two terrorists who intended to enter Shahcheragh from Bab al-Mahdi' engaged with the shrine's protection forces and 'opened fire indiscriminately.' According to Dr. Seyyed Vahid Hosseini, the head of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, during this armed attack on the Shahcheragh shrine in this city, 7 people were shot, with bullets hitting their 'abdomen, chest, and face.' Dr. Hosseini stated that 9 people were injured in this incident, one of whom died while being transferred to the Muslim Hospital, and of the 2 injured transferred to this hospital, one who had suffered cardiac shock improved and was discharged a few hours later. He noted that the third injured person transferred to this hospital underwent surgery and 'is now in stable condition,' adding: 'Five injured transferred to Namazi Hospital were severely wounded by bullets that hit their abdomen, chest, and face.' Meanwhile, yesterday, IRNA reported, citing one of the Shahcheragh officials, that 'four people including two servants and two pilgrims' were shot in this incident, with 'two of them' reported dead. However, ISNA reported the death toll as 'four' so far. According to this report, 'several servants' were also injured, and one of the 'two assailants' was arrested. On the other hand, the Islamic Republic's state television quoted Mohammad Hadi Imanieh, the governor of Fars, as stating that the number of casualties was 'one dead and four to five injured.' Tasnim News Agency quoted the commander of the IRGC in Fars province reporting that the arrested assailant had 'one weapon and eight magazines' and that 'preliminary interrogations' were underway. Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, the head of the judiciary, reacted to the attack on Shahcheragh by instructing judicial officials in Fars province to identify and arrest 'all involved elements and factors' so that 'appropriate punishment for these individuals can be considered urgently.' Mohammad Reza Gholam Reza, the former political deputy of the Ministry of Interior, whose dismissal was announced today, also reacted to the attack on Shahcheragh, stating: 'The recent terrorist incident at Shahcheragh in Shiraz should be linked to the successful completion of the pre-registration phase for parliamentary elections and the presence of the people, as the enemy was caught off guard and could not tolerate it.' This is the second attack on Shahcheragh in the past year. According to Islamic Republic officials, during the armed attack on the 'Shahcheragh shrine' that occurred in November 2022, 13 people were killed. The Islamic Republic had previously executed two individuals in connection with the earlier attack on Shahcheragh in Shiraz. Iranian news agencies reported in July of this year the execution of two defendants in the armed attack on the 'Shahcheragh shrine.' According to the state news agency 'IRNA,' the death sentences of 'Mohammad Ramaz Rashidi' and 'Seyyed Naeem Hashemi Qatali,' two individuals who were tried by the Islamic Republic's judiciary as 'perpetrators of the armed attack' on November 4, 2022, were carried out on July 8, 2023, in 'the street adjacent to the shrine.' Many human rights activists and legal experts have questioned the judicial proceedings in the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially in cases leading to the death penalty.