The Seminary of Mazandaran Declares Any Possibility of Assassination Against Ibrahim Fazel as 'Unfounded'

Following the discovery of the body of Ibrahim Fazel, a seminary student from Mazandaran, in the waters off the coast of Juybar, the Mazandaran Seminary issued a statement on Saturday declaring any possibility of foul play against this cleric as unfounded, stating that he died due to 'drowning'. The statement noted that 'investigations have shown that Mr. Fazel drowned while on a sightseeing trip and lost his life.' The body of the young cleric, Ibrahim Fazel, was found on Friday, May 5, in the coastal waters of Juybar in Mazandaran province. Some local media reported that Ibrahim Fazel had gone missing at Korfoun beach since Tuesday, May 2. He was identified as the son of Mohammad Fazel, the founder of the Mazandaran Seminary. Mohammad Fazel is also the brother-in-law of Seyyed Mahmoud Nabavian, a hardline cleric and representative from Tehran in the parliament. On Friday, IRNA published a statement from the Juybar judiciary, which stated that Ibrahim Fazel 'had been swimming in the Caspian Sea without clerical attire and subsequently went missing.' Although some news sites referred to him as a seminary student, in this statement, he was referred to as 'Hojjatoleslam'. It was mentioned that he had a driver and went to the beach to swim with him. Many details regarding the cause of his death have not been released. His death occurred two weeks after the killing of a member of the Assembly of Experts in Babolsar. The narrative of a cleric assisting in the smuggling of opium to Iraq under the pretext of visiting Karbala is also noted. Abbasali Soleimani, a member of the Assembly of Experts, was killed in Babolsar. The body of the son of the founder of the Mazandaran Seminary was found after three days.