Following Attack on Motahari, Fars Governor Summoned to Tehran

Hosseinali Amiri, Deputy Minister of Interior of Iran, announced on Wednesday that following an attack by a group of motorcyclists on Ali Motahari in Shiraz, the Ministry of Interior has summoned the Fars governor to Tehran. According to this government official, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, has ordered that legal action be taken against the perpetrators of this incident "as quickly as possible." Ali Motahari, a conservative member of parliament who had traveled to Shiraz for a speech, was attacked on Tuesday after leaving the airport by a group of motorcyclists who broke the windows of his vehicle and prevented him from heading to Shiraz University. In a letter written after the incident, Motahari criticized the performance of government forces in Fars province and described such events as the "result of give-and-take in the appointment of the Minister of Interior." In this context, Ahmad Tavakoli, a member of parliament, told ILNA news agency that "executive officials in the province should also be held accountable for any possible negligence." He harshly criticized the security officials in Shiraz, stating: "In addition to punishing the perpetrators of this insecurity, the fact that dozens of people gathered at the airport with motorcycles and cars and we assume that the security officials in Shiraz were unaware of the gathering and the corrupt intentions of these gatherers shows their utmost inability and failure to perform their duties. If they were aware (which is more likely), the internal protection section of the security apparatus should also intervene in the matter, and negligent or culpable officials should be prosecuted and punished." The Fars governor also commented on the attack on Motahari on Tuesday, March 9, stating: "Certainly, those who orchestrated these events were not ordinary individuals." Mohammad Ahmadi also mentioned that the Fars governor's office had requested through the Jahrum governor, who has a friendship with Motahari, that he delay his speech in Shiraz by a few days. He added: "This same group wanted to attack Mr. Younesi upon his arrival in Shiraz, but it was anticipated and prevented." The Fars governor emphasized: "If Mr. Motahari had reached the speech venue, given the atmosphere there due to the presence of his opponents, the possibility of much worse incidents occurring was high." Previously, Motahari's requests for the removal of house arrest for Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, two candidates who protested the results of the 2009 presidential election, have repeatedly caused protests from supporters of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. For instance, on January 21, the "attack" by some members of parliament on Ali Motahari, the representative from Tehran, and a physical altercation after his renewed request for the removal of house arrest for Mousavi and Karroubi during a speech led to a temporary suspension of the public session of parliament.