Iranian Hajj Pilgrim Attacked by Terrorists in Mecca

According to a statement by Iran’s Hajj and Pilgrimage Organisation, a group of unknown elements on Wednesday evening (18:30 local time) attacked Iranian cleric Hossein Esmaeili, who was accompanying the pilgrims of Isfahan

The cleric was en route to his hotel room when he was attacked and wounded in his shoulder and side.

The terrorists escaped with a motorcycle, according to the statement.

Immediately after the attack, the cleric was transferred to a hospital by Iranian and Saudi medics. Reports from Mecca indicate he is in relatively stable condition now.

Three suspects have been arrested by the Saudi police so far, the statement added.

The attack came as Saudi authorities have repeatedly emphasized their ‘special’ treatment of Iranian pilgrims as per a deal they had signed with the Islamic Republic.

Iranian pilgrims this year went on the pilgrimage after one year of absence. In 2016, Iran boycotted the Hajj pilgrimage in protest at the Saudi mismanagement, which had claimed the lives of hundreds of Iranians in a 2015 crush in Mecca.