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Sun, Sept 12, 2010 | The Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center

Karoubi’s residence after the rioters’ attack, www.sahamnews.org, September 2.

Unprecedented Attack On Residence of Reformist Opposition Leader Mehdi Karoubi On the Eve of Qods Day

Tehran | Sept 03, 2010

Last Friday night, nearly one hundred pro-government rioters attacked the northern Tehran residence of reformist opposition leader Mehdi Karoubi. Saham News, a website affiliated with Karoubi, reported that the rioters had thrown stones and Molotov cocktails at the residence, smashed the windows and streetlights at the building entrance, sprayed paint, and removed the security cameras installed there. The rioters, who chanted slogans in favor of the Supreme Leader, also attempted to break into the residence, forcing Karoubi’s security guards to fire into the air. According to the website, four people were injured in the riots, including Karoubi’s chief of security, who was beaten by the rioters and rushed to the hospital suffering from severe injuries (Saham News, September 2).

Karoubi’s supporters claimed that the attack was aimed to keep him from taking part in the Qods Day rallies, so that his supporters could not take advantage of them to hold demonstrations against the regime. Karoubi’s supporters also claimed that Basij forces that have been surrounding Karoubi’s residence for the past several days egged on the rioters. On Friday, reformist opposition websites reported that hundreds of Basij militia and Revolutionary Guards had encircled Karoubi’s residence to keep him from coming out and taking part in the rallies. In addition, the telephone lines of his residence were cut off (Jaras, September 3).

In a statement released by Karoubi following the attack, the opposition leader called on his supporters to stay away from his residence to avoid risking their lives. In an interview granted to RASA, a TV station affiliated with the reformist opposition, Karoubi said that he was not concerned about the attack, claiming it was designed to keep him from voicing his opinions on issues pertaining to the current situation in Iran, and that he would continue fighting for the rights of the Iranian people. He noted that the government, being unable to solve Iran’s political, economic, and cultural problems, is interested in creating a crisis because its existence depends on it. He further claimed that elements in the Revolutionary Guards consider the sanctions to be a blessing because they can exploit them to steal public money (Jaras, September 2).

Opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi also released a special statement following the attack on Karoubi’s residence. The statement said that, similarly to the attack on the houses of top reformist clerics several months ago, this latest attack was proof of the regime leaders’ fear of the popular movement. The attack, Mousavi noted, proves that the occupation of Jerusalem and hostility towards Israel are only used as excuses by the regime leaders, and that the real enemies, as far as those leaders are concerned, are Karoubi and all the other freedom-loving people. The measures taken by the regime, Mousavi wrote in his statement, are not an obstacle for the people’s desire for a new election—quite the opposite (Jaras, September 2).

Following the attack, Mousavi and his wife, Zahra Rahnavard, held a telephone conversation with Karoubi to express their sympathy. Karoubi thanked Mousavi and said that the most important thing right now was to protect the people and their rights (Saham News, September 3). Mousavi and his wife had visited Karoubi’s residence earlier this week.

Last week, Karoubi’s wife Fatemeh wrote a letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to protest the constant harassment her husband endured from rioters, Basij forces, and Revolutionary Guards who had been gathering outside of their residence for several days. According to Fatemeh, the harassment is meted out in the name of support for the Supreme Leader, while the internal security forces look the other way. This week, the Revolutionary Guards denied any involvement in the attack on Karoubi. A special memorandum of opinion released by the Tehran Province Revolutionary Guards says that the rioters have nothing to do with either the Revolutionary Guards or the Basij forces, and that the attack deserved condemnation (ILNA, September 5).

Since the Iranian presidential election in June 2009, Karoubi has been attacked by pro-government rioters on several occasions.