Karroubi attacked by Ahmadinejad supporters in Tehran

Mehdi Karroubi

Fars news agency reports that the Iranian opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi was attacked at Nour Mosque of Tehran which caused his bodyguards to defuse the situation by shooting into the air.

Taghi Karroubi, son of the opposition leader, confirmed the news for Radio Zamaneh and informed us that a number of “armed” individuals which appeared to be Basij members tried to attack Mehdi Karroubi and threw eggs at him.

Taghi Karroubi went on to say that his father’s bodyguards shot into the air to disperse them and since they were armed “to prevent other possible incidents.”

Mehdi Karroubi was attending a funeral in Tehran.

Taghi Karroubi contended that “a number of old members of the Revolutionary Guards” are in charge of “a permanent group of merceneraies” who are charged with disturbing the events that government opposition figures attend.

He reported that Mehdi Karroubi was not injured in the attack and it happened after the end of the ceremony outside the mosque.

Mehdi Karroubi has been target of attacks by pro-government forces several times in the past year. He was harassed at Tehran’s Media Exhibition last year. His car was swarmed during a trip to Qazvin and he also suffered a tear gas attack in February during street demonstrations.

In June he was also subject of pro-government attacks while he was visiting with reformist Shiite clerics in the holy city of Qom.

Mehdi Karroubi and MirHosein Mousavi are the two presidential candidates that continue to challenge Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory in last year’s presidential elections and are considered as “leaders of sedition” by Islamic Republic government supporters.