Five killed in courthouse attack in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province
- Attackers attempted to enter building disguised as visitors.
- 13 also injured in courthouse attack, say police.
- Mother, child were among those killed in attack.
An armed attack on a courthouse in Iran’s restive southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province killed at least five people and injured 13, Iranian media reported.
Three assailants were also killed in the ensuing clashes with security forces, a senior police official told the state news agency IRNA.
He said a mother and child were among those killed by the gunmen who threw a hand grenade into the building in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan.
The Baluch human rights group HAALVSH, quoting eyewitnesses, said several judiciary staff members and security personnel were killed or wounded when the assailants stormed the judges’ chambers.
According to Alireza Daliri, deputy police commander of Sistan-Baluchistan province, the attackers attempted to enter the building disguised as visitors.
Located about 1,200 kilometres (745 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran, the restive province shares a long border with Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Sistan-Baluchestan province frequently sees clashes between security forces and armed groups, including separatists who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy.
