Iran

Fencing champion kidnapped, 1 dead in SE Iran

361117_Iran-Hamed-Sedaqati

Unknown armed men have kidnapped an Iranian fencing champion and two of his friends in the southeast of the country near Pakistan’s borders.

Member of Iran’s national fencing team, Hamed Sedaqati, and his friends were driving from the port city of Chabahar to Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-and-Baluchestan Province, on Wednesday night when gunmen opened fire on their car near the southeastern border city of Khash.

One of the three men died on the spot after being shot in the head.

The attackers then took away the fencer and his companion to an unknown location. The motive behind the abduction is not yet known.

A local police chief said an extensive manhunt has been launched, but police have so far failed to find any trace of the captors and the hostages.

Meanwhile, an Interior Ministry official told IRNA on Saturday that investigations into the case are still underway, saying personal motives were likely behind the abduction.

“No reasons and documents have been received yet about the existence of terrorist groups or their hostage-taking yet,” Rouhollah Jomei said.

He added that no accurate and reliable information about the reasons behind the case is available yet.

Located in south of Zahedan, the city of Khash has a common border with Pakistan.

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