A security chief was reportedly killed at Azerbaijan’s diplomatic mission in Tehran
FILE PHOTO: A view of Tehran. © Rouzbeh Fouladi / NurPhoto via Getty Images
A gunman armed with an assault rifle opened fire on a security post at the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran, the South Caucasus country’s Foreign Ministry has reported. The embassy security chief was killed while two guards were injured in the Friday morning incident.
The ministry described the condition of the survivors as “satisfactory” and pledged to provide additional information as the investigation into the “treacherous attack” progresses.
Images purporting to show the aftermath of the incident, which are circulating on social media, include a graphic photo of a body covered by a sheet lying on a bloodied floor. The same body without the cover was captured in a short video clip.
More footage shot in front of the embassy shows police cars and a man apparently being treated for an arm injury.
An armed attack on the #Azerbaijani embassy in #Tehran this morning.When the #attack was repelled, an employee of the Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies responsible for the protection of the embassy died, and another was injured.#Iranpic.twitter.com/cCMFU3OEm6
— Chaudhary Parvez (@ChaudharyParvez) January 27, 2023
The gunman was arrested immediately after the incident, the chief of the Tehran police, Sardar Hossein Rahimi, told Iranian media. He said the shooter had come to the embassy with his two young children and police believed the attack was motivated by a personal grievance.
The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed “shock” following the news. “We offer our condolences and support to the Azerbaijani colleagues,” spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on social media.
