Interior Ministry: No arrests made so far in relation to the attack on Motahari

One day after the governor of Fars announced that the "main perpetrators" of the attack on Ali Motahari, a member of parliament, had been identified and referred to judicial authorities, the spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Interior announced that no one has been arrested in connection with this attack so far. According to ISNA news agency, Hossein Ali Amiri, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, stated on Tuesday, March 25, that in a 20-minute video of the incident, the faces of the attackers are "almost" recognizable. Mr. Amiri noted that the number of attackers against Mr. Motahari has been reported variably from 50 to 200 individuals. Ali Motahari, the representative of Tehran in parliament, who traveled to Shiraz on March 18 for a speech at the university, was "assaulted by plainclothes forces" at the airport of the city and was ultimately forced to return to Tehran. Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, has ordered the Ministers of Information and Interior to investigate the attack on Ali Motahari in Shiraz. The spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior also announced the formation of a committee led by Hossein Zolfaqari, the security deputy of this ministry, to investigate the incident. Mr. Amiri added: "This group departed for Shiraz this morning. However, expert groups had been sent to Shiraz in previous days; but this high-ranking delegation went to Shiraz this morning." One day prior to the statements of the Ministry of Interior spokesperson, Ali Motahari's lawyer, who traveled to Shiraz to file a complaint against the attackers, reported that his car had been vandalized by "unknown individuals" and spray-painted with the message "First Warning." According to ILNA news agency, Mustafa Torkhamdani stated on Sunday, March 24, that he had been asked to leave his residence by the order of the governor of Fars, adding: "For this reason, I have now been transferred to the governor's office and am residing here." Meanwhile, in continued reactions, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the head of the Expediency Discernment Council of Iran, described the attack on Mr. Motahari as a "disgraceful incident and completely contrary to the interests" and added: "Unfortunately, those who have committed such an act claim to have religious and revolutionary beliefs." Also, according to IRNA news agency, on Sunday, Hussein Fereydoun, brother and special assistant to Hassan Rouhani, visited Ali Motahari's home on behalf of Mr. Rouhani to express his condolences. Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi, the Minister of Health, also visited Mr. Motahari at his home on Friday. Additionally, Hussein Amiri Khamakani, a representative from Zarand in parliament, reported that 112 members of parliament have written a letter to the President of Iran requesting the investigation of the "assassination attempt" on Ali Motahari. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, March 25, Ali Motahari denied the claims made regarding the "Security Council" of Shiraz's resolution against his speech and the recommendations of Fars officials for him not to travel to Shiraz.