Shiraz bombing
The Shiraz bombing was an April 12, 2008 explosion that occurred during prayers at the Hosseynieh Seyed al-Shohada Mosque in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, Fars province. Fourteen people were killed and 202 were injured.[1]
Shiraz bombing | |
---|---|
Location | Shiraz, Fars province, Iran |
Date | April 12, 2008 21:15pm (UTC+3.30) |
Deaths | 14 |
Injured | 202 |
Event
According to Al Jazeera, reports showed that the explosion occurred in the side where males were praying.[2] Around 800 people, which were mostly youth, were gathered at the Mosque to hear sermons which usually include sermons attacking the Wahabi denomination of Sunni Islam and the Baháʼí Faith.[3] According to the BBC, the explosion shattered windows of several houses that were close to the mosque, as reported by Iran News Agency.[4]
The deputy governor of the province, Mohammad Reza Hadaegh, told IRIB an investigation was under way.[5] Iranian officials first stated that the blast was not a terrorist attack, but caused by leftover munitions that were on display in the mosque as part of an exhibition commemorating Iran's 1980–1988 war against Iraq.[6] However, in May, Interior Minister Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi said the blast was an act of terrorism and 12 terrorists had been arrested before attacking the Russian Consulate and religious centers in Qom.[7] Intelligence Minister Gholam Hossein Mohseni-Ejehei accused United States and Britain of involvement in the bombing and attempted to press charges against the two countries.[8][9]
In November 2008, Iran sentenced three men to death after they were convicted of the bombing.[10] One of these men, Mehdi Eslamian, was hanged with four others on May 9, 2010. His brother had previously been hanged for the bombing.[11]
Victims
Name | Age |
---|---|
Ali Nowrouzi | 19 |
Gholam Moussavi | 45 |
Erfan Entezami | 6 |
Najmeh Ghassempour | 20 |
Mohammad Javad Yaghout | 30 |
Alireza Entezami | 11 |
Massoud Rezaei | 25 |
Mohammad Mahdavi | 21 |
Mohammad Jokar | 25 |
Ali Nasiri | 38 |
Mohammad Javad Alavi | ? |
References
- Nasseri, Ladane (2008-04-13). "Iran Mosque Explosion Kills 14, Injures 202 in City of Shiraz". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- "Several dead in Iran mosque blast".
- Bozorgmehr, Shirzad (2008-04-14). "Report: Deadly blast in Iran caused by munitions". CNN. Archived from the original on 20 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- "Deadly blast strikes Iran mosque". 13 April 2008.
- Hosseinian, Zahra; Jaseb, Hossein (2008-04-12). "Bomb blast in south Iran mosque kills 9, wounds 105". Reuters. Archived from the original on 13 April 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
- Fars News Agency (2008-04-16). "Shiraz Blast not a Bomb Attack". Fars News Agency. Archived from the original on 2008-06-24. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
- "Shiraz mosque blast was act of sabotage: Minister". IRNA. 2008-05-08. Archived from the original on 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
- Erdbrink, Thomas (2008-05-09). "Iran Accuses U.S., Britain In Fatal Blast". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
- "Detainees Confess!". 2008-05-26. Archived from the original on 2008-05-28. Retrieved 2008-05-26.
- "Iran sentences mosque bombers to death". GEO TV. 2008-11-29. Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
- "Iran executes five political prisoners". Archived from the original on 2011-04-05. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- "اسامي کشتهشدگان حادثه انفجار در شيراز". www.farsnews.com. Retrieved 2008-04-13.
- "Son enterradas las víctimas de la explosión de la mezquita Seyyed Al Shohada de Shiraz". IRNA. Archived from the original on 2012-02-10. Retrieved 2008-04-20.