Iran arrests several suspects after protest in Kurdish city

Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency is reporting authorities have arrested multiple suspects after several days of unrest in the Kurdish city of Mahabad over the death of a local woman.

The Sunday report quotes Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s General Prosecutor, as saying the arrests came following a “crisis” instigated by foreign-based media “over the death of an individual in a hotel.”

Last week foreign-based opposition websites claimed the suspect in the suspicious death of a hotel maid in Mahabad was linked to the government.

Raisi did not elaborate on the specifics of the case.

The official IRNA news agency says protesters last week damaged the hotel over the suspicious death.

Mahabad is home to more than 200,000 citizens and has a record of public unrest.

— AP