Shooting at the Car of Shadgan Representative; Possible Motive of Attackers is 'Personal'

Unidentified individuals shot at the parked car of Majid Naseri-Nejad, the representative of Shadgan in the parliament, on Thursday evening. This incident resulted in no casualties, and the governor of Khuzestan announced that the attackers' motive was likely 'personal.' According to reports from Mehr News Agency, in addition to Naseri-Nejad's vehicle, three other cars were also hit by bullets, and the perpetrators fled the scene. It has been reported that no one was present in these vehicles at the time of the shooting. In relation to this attack, the Shadgan representative stated, 'We were in a meeting in Shadgan when a motorcyclist shot at our cars and fled the scene.' Reports from Iranian news sources indicate that Gholamreza Shariati, the governor of Khuzestan, also issued orders for an investigation into the incident after visiting Shadgan. According to Shariati, 'several suspects have been identified,' and 'the attackers' motive was likely personal.' Shadgan is located 97 kilometers from Ahvaz. Some residents of this city and other cities in Khuzestan province possess weapons, and armed conflicts between groups of residents in these areas have occurred multiple times. For instance, on April 8, Saeed Hajian, the acting governor of Shadgan, reported that in an armed conflict between the 'Albu Obaid and Albu Hosar tribes,' a 60-year-old man and his 22-year-old grandson were killed. On the same day, according to a report from the state news agency IRNA, a 'tribal conflict' in Lali County in northern Khuzestan also resulted in one death and two injuries. In recent years, shootings by police forces against some young people in Shadgan during chases have led to widespread protests. For example, in February 2017, after police shot a young Arab named Hassan Abughbesh, leading to his death, the police station in this city was set on fire by protesters. Since April 8, protests have also been held in several cities in Khuzestan province against a segment in the children's program 'Kolah Ghermezi,' and reports indicate that around 200 people have been arrested in these protests. In this segment, the ethnicities of Iran are depicted by attaching dolls dressed in the clothing of these ethnicities to a map, but there was no Arabic dress among them. In previous years, similar protests have also taken place in Khuzestan province. In 2005, after the publication of a letter claiming that the Iranian government intended to change the demographic composition of Khuzestan province, widespread protests erupted in the province, resulting in several deaths and hundreds of injuries. This letter was attributed to Mohammad Ali Abtahi, an advisor to then-President Mohammad Khatami, but Abtahi and government officials denied the existence of such a letter, calling it 'forged.'