Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Iran Hostage Taker Kills 3, Takes Own Life

Police and civilians are seen outside the offices of the Foundation of the Oppressed. Mehr News agency

A disgruntled employee of a huge Iranian foundation killed three of his colleagues before taking his own life in a workplace hostage drama Wednesday, state media reported.

The hostage taker struck in the western city of Ilam in the city center offices of the Foundation of the Oppressed, a massive holding company set up to manage the assets of the shah's regime after their confiscation during the Iranian revolution of 1979.

The foundation has been under US sanctions since November 2020, AFP reported.

"A 37-year-old employee of the Foundation of the Oppressed in Ilam, armed with a Kalashnikov rifle and two grenades, took staff hostage in one of the offices," the state broadcaster quoted provincial police commander Delavar Alqassi-Mehr as saying.

"He then started shooting and threw a grenade that instantly killed two women and a man, and wounded seven others," Alqassi-Mehr said.

"The assailant committed suicide after police and security officers arrived at the scene and tightened the siege," he added, without identifying the hostage taker.

The police chief said four of the wounded were undergoing surgery for serious injuries.

He told state news agency IRNA that the hostage taker "had personal disputes with management".

In its sanctions listing, the US Treasury Department described the Foundation of the Oppressed as "an immense conglomerate of some 160 holdings in key sectors of Iran's economy, including finance, energy, construction and mining."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.