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3 police officers killed as religious group’s protest turns violent in Tehran (VIDEO)
At least three Iranian policemen have been killed and several more were wounded during a protest in Tehran, where members of a religious sect gathered around a police station to demand the release of one of their order.
The incident took place on Pasdaran Street in northern Tehran. Footage from the scene shows officers in riot gear being chased down the street after apparently having come under attack by protesters.
#Breaking: at least 3 police officers were killed, some others injured when a bus ploughed into anti-riot forces during a clash with Gonabadi Darwishs (a sufi-like cult) who were attacking police with cocktails and machetes over the arrest of one their members.
Fars pic.twitter.com/vRWKDHRqLp
— Sadegh Ghorbani (@GhorbaniSadegh) February 19, 2018
According to Reuters, a police spokesman revealed on state TV that: "Some disruptors of security and order used a bus today and killed three police officers." "The murderers were arrested seconds after their crime," the spokesman added. Ten people were immediately arrested at the scene and the area has now been sealed off by the security forces.
The protesters were dervishes from the Sufi order of Gonabadi. In Sufism, dervishes are known for their vows of poverty and austerity, as well as the trance-like dances in their rituals. Some human rights and activist groups have alleged that dervishes face persecution in Iran.
