Conflicting Reports of Shooting at Mourning Procession in Behbahan

While Fars News Agency reported a shooting at mourners during Ashura ceremonies in Behbahan, a police official in Khuzestan denied the incident on Sunday, November 3. According to Fars, during the Ashura ceremonies in Behbahan County, two motorcyclists armed with Kalashnikovs shot at the mourners, injuring four individuals. The report also stated that two armed individuals were arrested by the police in connection with the incident. However, the commander of the police in Khuzestan denied that any shooting occurred at mourning ceremonies in the province, stating that 'no shooting' has been reported and that the news regarding this matter is 'false.' Meanwhile, the state news agency IRNA quoted Hossein Malekkhodaei, the governor of Behbahan, as saying that a shooting 'occurred' between two mourning groups, but it was not a 'terrorist' incident. According to Mr. Malekkhodaei, 'seven people' were injured in the shooting, and the perpetrators have been arrested. Reports of the shooting on Ashura in Behbahan come after a shooting at a mourning group in Safiabad, Dezful, last week, which resulted in two deaths and two injuries. Rahman Mousavi, the social deputy of the Khuzestan police, stated that 'several suspects' of the terrorist incident in Safiabad, Dezful, were arrested through the efforts of security forces, but investigations continue to find the actual perpetrators. This police official did not provide further details about the arrested individuals and their connection to the actual shooters targeting the mourning group. Nonetheless, the social deputy of the Khuzestan police added that 'skilled and expert police forces have been dispatched to Dezful County and the city of Safiabad for further investigation.' Meanwhile, Ahmad Ghahramani, the public and revolutionary prosecutor of Dezful, stated that 'the police report indicates the recent shooting in Safiabad was of a security nature and lacks any personal or tribal motivation.' In this context, the death of three police officers in Khuzestan followed an attack by 'unknown individuals,' with Jaish al-Adl claiming responsibility for the killing of eight Iranian border guards. Arrests of 'several individuals' in connection with the shooting at the mourning group in Dezful have also been reported.