Iran: sword-wielding man shot attempting to enter presidential compound

A man attempting to enter the presidential complex in Tehran with a sword was shot by guards. His motives are yet unclear. 

By: AP and World Israel News Staff

Guards securing the presidential complex in Tehran on Monday shot and wounded a man carrying a sword as he attempted to enter the compound.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency quoted Hamid Reza Goudarzi, deputy security chief, as saying that the 35-year-old man was taken to the hospital. There was no information on his condition or possible motives for trying to enter the presidential complex.

IRNA reported that the man had managed to pass through the first checkpoint, one of several.

It wasn’t clear whether President Hassan Rouhani was in the complex on Monday.

Attempts to enter the presidential compound with a sword are rare, though Iranian men occasionally carry swords and daggers, especially when in traditional clothing.

Police have tried to dissuade people from carrying such arms and occasionally confiscate the weapons.

Iran recently experienced a wave of country-wide protests over the dire economic situation and corruption in the country.

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