Iran officials say ‘minor damage’ caused by fire at Tomb of Mordechai and Esther

Iranian officials confirm that a fire broke out early Friday morning at the site of an ancient shrine revered by Iranian Jews as the burial place of the biblical Esther and Mordechai. But they stress that no damage was done to the hall housing the tomb itself.

An investigation has revealed that a person was caught in CCTV footage trying to enter the holy site through an adjacent bank and “perform a series of actions” but “failed,” opposition news sites say, citing a report in the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

The report says the cameras had registered the person’s face, but “information about the person’s motives and identity cannot be provided until they are arrested.”

The attack came on May 15, a day after the 72nd anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel, raising widespread suspicion that it was a hate crime against Jews and the Jewish state.