IRAN (Reuters) – At least 13 people died in the twin attacks by militants against Iran’s parliament and the Imam Khomeini Shrine in capital Tehran on Wednesday, Iran’s Interior Ministry said in a statement.
According to the semi-official ISNA news agency, an additional 43 people were injured in the terrorist attacks, the Interior Ministry statement was cited as reading.
In the meantime, all four assailants against the parliament and two against the Khomeini Shrine were killed, according to an unidentified source.
One of the attackers on the parliament detonated his explosive belt and three others were shot dead by the security forces.
Of the three attackers on the Khomeini Shrine, one set off his explosive belt after shooting began, while the other was shot dead by the security guards and the third, a young woman, was arrested after sustaining injuries, local media said.
Nearby witnesses told of a horrifying scene during the attack.
“We heard the sound of gunshots from the parliament building at about 11:00. People were gathering here, some ran towards that direction. And people were shouting “they are shooting people”. The security forces were also here. I closed the store, so did many others (business owners). The picture was cruel. Some attackers directly shot at pedestrians. The security forces then told us that we should not stay here because the bullets may hurt us,” said Majid, owner of a local store near the parliament building.
“There was the noise of gunshots between 10:30 and 12:00. I saw six or seven people were carried out of the parliament building. The attackers once walked out of the parliament door to shoot people and then went back into the building. When they were shooting at people, we just lay down here,” said another witness named Farshid.
Iran’s Intelligence Ministry on Wednesday said in a statement that another terrorist gang was busted before carrying out any activities in Tehran.
The security deputy of Iran’s Interior Ministry said that the terrorists had entered the parliament building in women’s attire, according to the official IRNA news agency.
However, after their incursion into the building, the security forces brought the situation under control and the terrorists had to flee to the upper floors of the building without causing any harm to the lawmakers, security official Hossein Zolfeghari was quoted as saying.
The twin attacks were simultaneously carried out in Tehran at around 10:30 local time on Wednesday.
Responsibility for the twin assaults was claimed by the Islamic State, which would be the first attack known to have been carried out by the radical Sunni group in mostly Shiite Iran.