(Al Jazeera Media Network) A holy shrine in Iran’s southern city of Shiraz has come under a second deadly attack in less than a year with gunmen breaking into its grounds and opening fire.
Details have yet to be confirmed, but officials and state-linked media said two people entered the Shah Cheragh shrine through its southern gate on Sunday at 7 p.m. (15:30 GMT) and started shooting at security staff and worshippers, killing at least one person and wounding several others.
Yadollah Bouali, the provincial commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), told state television one shooter was arrested at the scene with an assault rifle and eight magazines full of ammunition. The second gunman fled the scene.
Videos online showed people running in panic outside the shrine and shutting down their shops. Images showed bullet holes in walls, and eyeglasses and blood on the ground.
The shrine, located in the province of Fars and one of the most important in Shia Islam, was hit by a similar attack on October 26, 2022.
At the time, a lone gunman entered the shrine with an automatic rifle, shooting a group of pilgrims and staff. Authorities said the gunman killed 13 people and injured 40 others before being killed by security forces.