According to reports from Iranian state media, a judicial building in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan was attacked on Saturday, July 26th, resulting in the deaths of at least six people, including a child, and injuring 22 others. Three attackers were also killed in the incident.
The attack was carried out by the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl. The organization confirmed that three of its members were killed in clashes with security forces in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan province.
The head of the provincial judiciary department told the IRNA news agency that the victims included a child, a 60-year-old woman, three soldiers, and law enforcement officers assigned to the court. He did not confirm the identity of the sixth deceased individual.
He stated that the attackers were wearing explosive vests and carrying grenades. It is currently unclear whether they detonated these grenades.
Sistan-Baluchestan province is home to the Baluch minority, a Sunni Muslim ethnic group in Iran, who have long complained of economic marginalization and political exclusion.
Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for the attack on their Telegram account, alleging that at least 30 members of the judiciary and security forces were killed. The organization also stated that their targets were judges and court personnel, accusing them of issuing death sentences and demolishing homes belonging to Baluch citizens.
They further alleged that security forces caused civilian deaths, accusing them of indiscriminate shootings.
The Baluch human rights organization HAALVSH cited eyewitnesses who reported that the attackers stormed the judges’ offices, leading to the deaths or injuries of several judiciary personnel and security forces.
(*This article is based on reports from Reuters.*)