Iran concerned over Nigerian military attack on Shiite leader

Iranian officials and media outlets have condemned and expressed concern over the attack on prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky by the Nigerian military. As the leader of the small Shiite community in Nigeria, Zakzaky has close political and religious ties with Iran dating back to the 1979 revolution.

A Nigerian military statement read that members of Zakzaky’s Islamic movement attacked a military convoy with stones in what it called an assassination attempt. However, activists with the movement claim that the raids were pre-planned and occurred at multiple locations, including Zakzaky’s residence and two spiritual centers. They accused the Nigerian forces of indiscriminate killing. Some activists said that there were hundreds of deaths. Earlier reports put the number of dead at 20.