At least twelve people were killed and 39 injured in a coordinated attack at Iranian Parliament and the mausoleum of Ayatollan Khomeini today. Police said, all the attackers were killed some five hours after the attack started. The Iranian Intelligence Ministry said, security forces had arrested a terrorist team planning a third attack, without giving further details. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

According to the ISNA news agency, the assaults began mid-morning when four gunmen burst into the parliament complex in the centre of Tehran, killing a security guard and another person. An interior ministry official said, the attackers were dressed as women and entered through the visitors’ entrance. At roughly the same time, a team of three or four assailants entered the grounds of the mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini, killing a gardener and injuring several other people.

Parliament was in session as the attacks unfolded and members were keen to show they were undeterred, continuing with regular business. The city was on lockdown, with streets blocked and parts of the metro closed. Interior Minister Abdolrahman Fazli told ISNA that he had convened a special meeting of the country’s security council.

The attacks, targeting parliament and the shrine of the Republic’s revered founder, Ayatollah Khomeini, took place less than a month after the re-election of President Hassan Rouhani. Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to Iran, Sourabh Kumar speaking to a TV channel said that all Indians are safe.