TEHRAN: Iranian security forces shot and wounded a man wielding a bladed weapon who tried to force his way into the presidential compound in central Tehran on Monday, media reported.
“An individual wearing a shroud tried to push through the doors of the presidential complex and was warned by security guards,” Tehran’s deputy governor for security Mohsen Nasj-Hamedani told the Fars and Tasnim news agencies.
It was not clear if the assailant was wounded at a checkpoint outside the presidential compound or at the entrance to the complex which houses President Hassan Rouhani’s office.
“The person was prevented from going further and was wounded by police gunshots,” Nasj-Hamedani said, adding that authorities were trying to determine the individual’s identity and motive.
Mehr news agency said the man was 35 years old and had been wounded in the leg.
Tehran governor Mohammad Hossein Moghimi said the assailant was hospitalised.
“We are waiting for that person’s health to improve so that we can begin interrogating him,” Moghimi said.
Mehr said the assailant attacked guards tasked with protecting Rouhani.
But according to footage broadcast by state television, Rouhani was not in his office at the time of the incident, as he was attending a conference on public transport.
Iranian media gave conflicting reports about the weapon the man carried.
One report said he had a “machete”, another said he was wielding a “sabre” and a third spoke of a “knife”.
Some ultra-conservative activists in Iran wear shrouds during protests against the West or to denounce perceived insults to Islam, as a symbol of their determination to defend a cause to the death.
