Suicide bombing in Iran. Ayatollah confirmed dead. - ADA News - Dateline February 1st, 2020

[MSgt Falconer]

Suicide bombing in Iran. Ayatollah confirmed dead.

 

A large scale suicide bombing took place this morning in Tehran. The Ayatollah accompanied by IRGC forces and several high ranking members of the Iranian government and clergy, was attending morning prayer at the Mirsa Mousa Mosque when two vehicle-borne IEDs were driven straight through the security perimeter. The vehicles, one large URAL brand truck and a smaller pickup truck, both loaded with explosives proceeded to ram into the main entrance where the Ayatollah was located along with several aides and members of the Iranian clergy. The blast levelled most of the entrance complex to the Mosque and instantly killed the Ayatollah as well as 36 other people. Alongside the 36 dead another 140 were wounded with most of them being evacuated to local hospitals during the day. A handful of people were extracted from the rubble during the course of the day and most of them were treated on site by local paramedics before being taken to hospital.

 

A handful of people remained to be treated on site.

 

This attack comes at a precarious time for Iran. With the country wracked by civil unrest, kurdish independence and Saudi military occupation of the critical Straits of Hormuz, international experts are predicting drastic action will be taken by the Iranian government in the very near future. No member of the Iranian government could be reached in the immediate aftermath but natonwide martial law has been declared with IRGC and regular Iranian military seen rounding up civilians and manning checkpoints in most major cities. 
ADA News will continue to monitor this seeming escalating situation.

Malcolm Reynolds
ADA News
Middle East Division