Iran Hands Down Death Sentence to Main Culprit Behind Deadly Raid on Religious Site

An Iranian court sentenced to death a Tajik man convicted of carrying out a fatal attack on a holy shrine in the Southern Iranian city of Shiraz in August.

Chief Justice of Fars Province Kazem Mousavi stated on Thursday the prime suspect, Rahmatollah Nowruzof from Tajikistan, was sentenced to death twice for “moharebeh” (waging war against God), armed revolt against the Islamic Republic, and collusion against Iran’s security.

He added that the accused in the second and third tiers were given five-year jail terms each, and were spared the capital punishment on charges of moharebeh and corruption on earth as they were “unaware of the sinister intention” of the main perpetrator.

The report comes following three hearings at a local revolutionary court in Shiraz city. They have been given 20 days to appeal against the sentences.

The holy shrine in Shiraz in mid-August came under a second terror attack in less than a year with another assailant breaking into its grounds, martyring two pilgrims and wounding eight others. 

The main terrorist was immediately captured and handed over to investigators for interrogation and further investigation.

The shrine was hit by a similar attack in late October 2022. Authorities confirmed the assailant martyred 15 pilgrims, including women and children, and injured dozens more before he was shot and injured by security forces. The terrorist later died of his wounds in hospital.

Two of his accomplices were executed last month, after being sentenced to death.

Iran has been the target of terrorist attacks in the past few decades and thousands of its citizens have been martyred by the terrorist groups. Iranian officials stress that the country is a victim of terrorism. They say Tehran has lost more people than any other country in the fight against terrorism, critisizing the Western countries for their double-standard policies on terrorism.