Friday Prayers Leader Assassinated In Southern Iran

Gunmen Kill Prayer Leader, Set Fire To Mosque In Southern Iran

Suspected Militants Kill Prominent Shiite Muslim Cleric

Gunmen have assassinated the leader of Friday prayers in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz, state media reported, in an attack that also saw the mosque set ablaze.

The attackers entered the Shah Cheragh mosque late on Wednesday and opened fire on worshipers, killing prominent Shiite Muslim cleric Ayatollah Hashem Bathaei and wounding several others.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency said three gunmen were involved in the attack, and that security forces had arrested two of them and were searching for the third.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion has fallen on Sunni militant groups that have carried out similar attacks in the past.

The attack took place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when mosques are typically packed with worshipers.

In a statement, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani condemned the attack as a "heinous crime" and vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.