Gunmen kill Friday prayer leader in western Iran

An interim Friday prayer leader in the western city of Sanandaj in the Iranian province of Kordestan has been shot dead.

Three unidentified gunmen approached the home of Mamousta Borhan Ali in Sanandaj on Saturday “under the pretext of asking religious questions” from the cleric.

The interim Friday prayer leader, who was part of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s election campaign in Kordestan, was then assassinated by a hail of bullets, Fars news agency reported.

The incident comes only days after a failed attempt to assassinate a Revolutionary Court judge in Sanandaj.

Sanandaj governor Mohammad Taghi Heydari said the assassination was part of the enemy’s plots to portray the region as insecure.

“Through such plots, they seek to stoke tensions in the region so that they can achieve their evil objectives,” the governor added.