The Pakistan-based jihadist group Jaish al-Adl has taken responsibility for the deadly shooting
At least six people have been killed, and 22 others wounded in a terrorist attack in southeastern Iran on Saturday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said. A mother and a one-year-old baby were among the dead, according to the local authorities.
A group of three gunmen attacked a courthouse in the Islamic Republic’s Sistan and Baluchestan province on Saturday morning, killing and injuring the building’s staff and clients, the IRGC said in a statement published later in the day.
The gunmen started a shootout with the police after failing to sneak into the building dressed as clients, Mehr News said, citing the local authorities. Before being killed, one reportedly threw a grenade into the building, killing and injuring a number of civilians.
The other two gunmen were killed in the ensuing firefight on the street.
According to the IRGC, the attackers were found to have been wearing suicide vests.
The province where the attack took place is located on the border with Pakistan and Afghanistan, and is home to Iran’s Baloch Sunni minority. The area regularly sees deadly clashes between Iranian forces and armed groups.
The Jaish al-Adl Baloch jihadist group – headquartered in neighboring Pakistan but also operating in Iran – has taken responsibility for the deadly attack. In a statement earlier in the day, the group urged civilians to flee the area.
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Last January, Tehran launched strikes on the Jaish al-Adl headquarters in southwestern Pakistan, after the jihadist group declared responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed nearly a dozen Iranian police officers the previous month.
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