Motahari on Shiraz Incident: Police Also Lacked the 'Courage to Act' for Their Arrest

Ali Motahari described the 'interrogation of 12 individuals' and the 'arrest of three' involved in the attack against him in Shiraz as a 'miracle,' stating that they are affiliated with 'certain places' and 'individuals from a specific agency' that even the police lacked the 'courage to act' against. According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), this Tehran representative in the parliament said on Tuesday, April 27, at Amir Kabir University: 'The main reason is that they are affiliated with certain places and are not dealt with. In Shiraz, everyone knew that the individuals who were direct participants and present at the scene were from a specific agency.' Mr. Motahari added: 'When I was at the police station, I said it was a good opportunity to arrest them, but they lacked the courage to act and said they would follow up on the matter later through the cameras.' He emphasized: 'The fact that a number of people have been summoned, 12 have been interrogated, and three are in custody with an indictment being prepared for them to go to court is a miracle. This did not happen in previous cases.' Mr. Motahari stated: 'If someone from a certain agency has committed an offense, it should be announced, and there should be no discrimination in this regard... To say we should not mention someone's offense because they are a cleric, a member of the IRGC, a parliament member, or a minister is a wrong approach, and the result will be that calamity befalls the individuals themselves.' On March 9, 2015, Ali Motahari traveled to Shiraz to give a speech at the university but was attacked by 'plainclothes forces' and beaten at the airport before being forced to return to Tehran. On April 8, he accused 'some members of the provincial security council' in Fars and their 'subordinates' of being 'creators of insecurity' in Shiraz and disrupting the security of the city. Previously, he had stated about the perpetrators of the attack: 'Apparently, there was an accepted principle; these individuals, as evidenced by their equipment such as heavy motorcycles and pepper spray, showed where they received their orders from.' 'Heavy motorcycles' are typically used by military and Basij forces in Iran. Mr. Motahari's statements come as Mustafa Torkhamdani, his lawyer, reported on Tuesday in an interview with the Etemad newspaper that the IRGC of Fars province has filed a complaint against the attackers of Mr. Motahari and 'has appointed an officer to follow up on this matter.' On the other hand, the Khabar Online website, close to Mir Hossein Mousavi, accused the IRGC of Fars province of 'exerting influence' in Mr. Motahari's case. The website reported that 'well-known figures' from the IRGC and Basij in Shiraz were 'among the attackers' on the vehicle carrying Ali Motahari at Shiraz airport. In another part of his remarks, Mr. Motahari said: 'It has nothing to do with whether a Friday prayer leader or a certain agency speaks about someone's speech at the university. For example, it has nothing to do with the IRGC entering politics and commenting on nuclear negotiations.' He emphasized: 'In this case, when an agency has economic and political power, it will be dangerous, and gradually it will turn into a party, and God forbid, it is unclear if the Supreme Leader is not there, whether they will listen to anyone's words.' On Saturday, March 14, 2015, Ali Motahari identified Asadollah Imani, the Friday prayer leader of Shiraz, as the main instigator of the attack against him. The Friday prayer leader of Shiraz, while opposing Mr. Motahari's speech at Shiraz University, stated that 'if someone breaks the sanctity of the leadership and the experts and the sedition, should they expect others not to break their sanctity?' Mr. Motahari also spoke about the reasons for the opposition to his speech in Shiraz, saying: 'They say the issue of house arrest is a decision of the system, and we should not speak about the system's decision. I say this is wrong, and I oppose it, and as long as the issue does not reach the level of chaos and disruption, anyone can express their opinion.' He added: 'I am also concerned about the future of the revolution and feel danger, but just because it is a decision of the system, should we not speak?' The attack on Ali Motahari in Shiraz occurred after he had repeatedly called for the lifting of the house arrest of Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, two candidates who contested the results of the 2009 presidential election. On January 11, 2015, the 'attack' by some members of parliament on Ali Motahari, the Tehran representative, and the physical altercation following his repeated request for the lifting of the house arrest of Mousavi and Karroubi during a speech also temporarily disrupted the public session of parliament. In this context, in the case of the attack on Motahari, the officials of Shiraz University were found guilty. Motahari identified 'some' members of the Fars security council as responsible for the attack on him. The warning from Ansar Hezbollah against the speeches of Nateq Nouri and Hassan Khomeini.