Explosion leaves one dead in northeast Iran

An improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated near the office of Khorasan Razavi Province’s governor general, leaving one person dead.

The bomber apparently detonated his explosives late on Saturday after security forces detected something suspicious about him and moved in his direction.

“A man detonated an IED at around 8 p.m. local time (1630 GMT) in downtown Mashhad after he came under suspicion by law enforcement officers patrolling the neighborhood,” Fars news agency quoted the police and security chief of Khorasan Razavi Province, Amirullah Shamaghdari, as saying late on Saturday.

The attacker was critically injured in the explosion and was taken to hospital, where he died hours later.

Shamaghdari said no one else was injured in the blast, adding that the incident did not cause any damages.

The police have launched an investigation into the incident as the motive behind the attack remains unknown. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the incident.

Earlier reports had suggested that a “sound bomb” targeted the governor general’s office.