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ISTANBUL (AA) - A prosecutor was among five people killed during protests on Thursday night in the Iranian city of Esfarayen, North Khorasan province, Fars news agency reported.
Further details on the casualties were not immediately available but the provincial prosecutor’s office said in a statement that provocateurs from various regions set fire to a container housing Prosecutor Ali Akbar Hozeyinzadeh and security personnel.
The statement said demonstrators prevented firefighters from intervening, resulting in the prosecutor and the accompanying security personnel being burned to death.
The prosecutor’s office said investigations into the incident were ongoing and that efforts had been launched to apprehend the suspects.
Judiciary chief Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei also issued a condolence message on the death of Hozeyinzadeh.
Since late December, Iran has seen waves of protests over a steep decline in the value of the Iranian rial and deteriorating economic conditions. The demonstrations started on Dec. 28 near Tehran's Grand Bazaar and later expanded to a number of cities across the country. The country is offline for over 12 hours, according to internet watchdog NetBlocks.
Iranian officials have not released official casualty statistics. On Thursday, however, the Human Rights Activists News Agency said 2,277 people had been arrested, dozens injured, and 42 people killed, including eight security personnel.