High-Ranking Iranian Cleric Gunned Down by Bank Guard
A senior Iranian cleric and member of a powerful government committee was shot and killed by a security guard at a bank in the northern province of Mazandaran on Wednesday, according to the Iranian authorities.
In CCTV camera footage shown on the Iranian news media, the cleric, Ayatollah Abbas Ali Soleimani, is seen sitting on a chair in the bank when the security guard casually approaches him from behind, points his rifle at his head and fires a shot.
Ayatollah Soleimani, 75, slumps in the chair, his white turban knocked to the floor, as the guard calmly wanders to the side.
Strangely, nobody comes immediately to the cleric’s aid, and the room remains rather calm. Two men grab the security guard and wrestle away his gun, then seem to let him slip away. The authorities said he was later apprehended.
Source: The New York Times
