Iran attacks: 13 dead as gunmen, suicide bombers target Parliament and mausoleum

Suicide bombers and gunmen have attacked Iran’s Parliament and the shrine of its revolutionary leader, killing at least 13 people, injuring dozens and igniting an hours-long siege at the legislature.

Key points:

• Attackers dressed as women burst through Parliament and detonated a suicide vest
• Another attack at the shrine of Ayatollah Khomeini said to have left one dead
• The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack

The Islamic State group claimed the attacks, marking the first time the Sunni extremists have taken responsibility for an assault in Shiite-majority Iran.

IS militants are at war with Iranian-backed forces in Syria and Iraq, and view Shiites as apostates.

The attacks began mid-morning when assailants armed with Kalashnikov rifles stormed the parliament building.

One of the attackers later blew himself up inside, where a session had been in progress, according to a statement carried by Iran’s state TV.

Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Hossein Zolfaghari told Iran’s state TV the apparently male attackers wore women’s attire. The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported the siege had ended with four of the attackers killed.

Source: Iran attacks: 13 dead as gunmen, suicide bombers target Parliament and mausoleum – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)