Sarveh Ghaderi

A bomb explosion at a Hosseiniyeh (a religious center) in Shiraz left dozens dead and ‎wounded last night. While no group has taken responsibility for the terrorist attack yet, ‎official government news agencies have blamed the explosion on minority religious sects. ‎

The heavy explosion took place after the evening prayers at the “Seyyed ul-Shohada ‎Hosseiniyeh,” affiliated with the “Rahpouyan” foundation, when Hojattoleslam ‎Anjabavinejad, the head of the Fars Province’s Friday Prayer Committee, began speaking ‎to the youth about Wahhabism and Bahaism. ‎

Sound waves from the explosion were audible 1.5 kilometers away from the center of ‎explosion, which took place at a residential neighborhood at the center of Shiraz. Fire ‎fighters and emergency crew were dispatched to the area to rescue survivors. At the same ‎time, security and Basiji forces began investigating the attack, and, according to an ‎eyewitness report, blocked “streets leading to the explosion center.” According to the ‎same report, “the number of dead and wounded was high” and the sound of emergency ‎sirens transporting the wounded to Namazi Hospital and other clinics across Shiraz were ‎audile all night long. ‎

According to the semi-official Fars News Agency, the Fars Security Council held a ‎special meeting last night following the explosion. In an interview with the News ‎Agency, Shiraz police chief Zamani estimated that 8 people were dead and 66 others ‎were wounded by the explosion and transported to hospitals and clinics until 10 o’clock ‎last night. Meanwhile, hospitals across Shiraz have issued a public call to all Shirazi ‎residents, especially those with blood type O, to donate blood for the wounded. ‎

According to the reports, the head of the Shiraz Friday Prayer committee was not hurt in ‎the explosion. ‎