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Iran Announces More Arrests in Saudi Embassy Attacks


Smoke rises as Iranian protesters set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016. Protesters upset over the execution of a Shi'ite cleric in Saudi Arabia set fires to the Saudi embassy in Tehran.
Smoke rises as Iranian protesters set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016. Protesters upset over the execution of a Shi'ite cleric in Saudi Arabia set fires to the Saudi embassy in Tehran.

An Iranian judiciary spokesman said Sunday that about 100 people had been arrested since early January in connection with attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran.

Protesters burned Riyadh's embassy in Tehran and a consulate in the city of Mashhad on January 2 following Saudi Arabia’s execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. A member of the kingdom’s Shiite minority, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr was accused of disobedience and sedition, and sentenced to death in 2014 after leading anti-government protests.

The violent demonstrations in Iran prompted Saudi Arabia to cut diplomatic ties with its longtime rival.

The latest arrest figures top previous public statements announcing 44 detentions related to the attacks.

An Interior Ministry official last week said the main suspect in the embassy protest was arrested abroad and extradited to Iran, according to Iranian media.

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