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2nd LD: Iranian protesters set Saudi embassy on fire in Tehran

Xinhua, January 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

Angry Iranian protesters against the execution of a Shiite leader by Saudi Arabia raided and set fire to the Saudi Embassy in Tehran late Saturday.

The move came hours after the Saudi Interior Ministry announced that prominent Shiite leader Nimr al-Nimr and 46 other men were executed on terror charges.

The police were trying to drive some of the protesters out of the embassy after they broke into the compound, semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

Tehran Police Chief, Sardar Sajedinia, said that the police have arrested some of those angry mobs who had "illegally" ransacked the embassy, according to Tasnim news agency.

"Unfortunately, some (who gathered before the embassy) throw stones and Molotov cocktails at the embassy which caused fire to the building," Sajedinia was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, another group of protesters set parts of the Saudi consulate on fire in Iran's northeastern religious city of Mashhad on Saturday evening, Tabnak news website reported.

The protesters gathered in front of the Saudi consulate and chanted slogans against the Arab state's authorities, according to the report.

They pulled down the flag of Saudi Arabia from the building of the consulate and threw handmade crackers which caused fire in part of the building, it said.

In an announcement, Iran's Foreign Ministry urged the police to protect the diplomatic compounds of Saudi Arabia in the country.

Earlier in the day, Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned Saudi Arabian charge d'affaires to Tehran and strongly condemned the execution of Nimr al-Nimr.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian conveyed the strong protest of the Islamic republic to the Saudi envoy, Ahmed al-Muwallid, over what he called the "irresponsible behavior" of the Saudi officials in this regard, the state TV reported. Endit