Though various sourced published contradictory reports about an assassination attempt on Zahedan's Sunni Friday prayer leader and the death of one of his bodyguards, Molavi Abdolhamid indicated that the incident "was not an assassination," adding, "We were there to pay homage to the martyrs of the bombing when we were attacked.  We had condemned the bombing, and were praying for the victims, but some people came and shouted slogans against us."

Noting that "we are attempting to return calm and peace to the city," Molavi Abdolhamid told the E'temad daily, "During the clash one bodyguard was beaten up, but when the news got out people held protests across the city and apparently some have been killed."  Zahedan's Sunni Friday prayer leader said that the number of the dead from Saturday and Sunday's clashes are not known, but added that at least "two people were killed, there are clashes across the city and problems have arisen."  He also commented on the encircling of his house, which is located near the Makki Mosque (catering to the Sunni community), by security officers and said, "When people heard about the attack on me they gathered at the mosque for protest."

Jundollah's Verbal Attack against Molavi Abdolhamid

The attack on Zahedan's Sunni community leader took place even though Molavi Abdolhamid and several other prominent Sunni leaders had condemned last week's deadly bombing at the Shia Ali Ibn Abitaleb mosque, in a series of statements calling for the apprehension and punishment of its perpetrators.

Coinciding with the attack on Zahedan's Sunni Friday prayer leader, the terrorist group Jundollah (God's Soldiers), which took responsibility on the Internet for last week's deadly bombing, blasted Zahedan's Sunni Friday prayer leader. 

In its statement, noting that only one out of the three individuals hanged on Saturday was a member of the organization, Jundollah criticized Zahedan's Sunni Friday prayer leader, warning, "With your speech on Friday, you approved of the execution of these young men, paving the way for the regime to continue to execute innocent young men.  This will not be overlooked by God."

Larijani: Sunni Community not Involved in Bombing

Speaking about the Zahedan bombing, which left at least 23 dead and dozens wounded, the Islamic Republic's Majlis Speaker, Ali Larijani, told ISNA on Saturday, "The reason for bombing a Shia mosque is to infuriate the public against the Sunni community.  It is clear to us that this incident was not carried out by Zahedan's Sunni community."

Larijani called on the families of the victims to remain calm, adding, "The families of the martyrs will certainly remain calm.  They must know that investigating this incident requires calm so that our security forces can proceed with their task."

On the other hand, Hosseinali Shahriari, Zahedan's representative in the Majlis, said in threatening remarks, "In Sistan and Baluchistan security must be either for all or for none.  It can't be the case that only the Shia community lacks security."  He insisted, "People who are known to be supporting the Wahabis must be dealt with."

These remarks were made one day after Abbasali Soleimani, the supreme leader's representative in the Sistan and Baluchistan province lamented the "lack of security" for the Shia community in the region, saying, "If security exists, it must exist for all, and if it is absent, it must be absent for all."