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At least eight people died in an armed assault on a judiciary building in southeastern Iran on Saturday, with officials describing the incident as a terrorist attack that left civilians and security personnel among the casualties.
Gunmen attacked the judiciary center in Zahedan, the capital of Sistan-Baluchestan province, according to the judiciary's Mizan Online news service. The assault killed five people and wounded 13 others, while three attackers were also killed during clashes with security forces, state media reported.
Jaish al-Adl group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on its Telegram account, urging "all civilians to immediately evacuate the area of clashes for their safety."
A senior police official told the state news agency IRNA that a mother and child were among those killed when the gunmen threw a hand grenade into the building. The Baluch human rights group HAALVSH, citing eyewitnesses, said several judiciary staff members and security personnel were killed or wounded when the assailants stormed the judges' chambers.
The attack occurred in Iran's restive southeastern province, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan and is home to the country's Baluch minority. The ethnic group has long complained of economic marginalization and political exclusion by Iran's government.
Sistan-Baluchestan frequently experiences violence between security forces and various armed groups, including militants and separatists who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy.
The Iranian government has accused some of these groups of maintaining ties to foreign powers and participating in cross-border smuggling and insurgency activities.
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