MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th November, 2022) �A high-ranking Islamic cleric was shot dead in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan on Thursday, Governor Ahmad Taheri said.
"An hour earlier, armed men shot dead Hujjat al-Islam Sajjad Shahraki in front of the mosque (in the city of) Zahedan," Taheri said, as quoted by Iranian news agency IRNA.
The authorities have already formed a special task force to search and detain the perpetrators , the governor said.
Zahedan is one of the cities affected by mass riots that started in Iran in mid-September in connection with the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who passed away while in police custody after being detained for wearing an "improper" hijab.
Iranian authorities have accused Western countries of supporting the violent protests, and European diplomats were given a note of protest in connection with anti-Iranian media reports and calls to overthrow the country's government.
