The new governor of a northwestern Iranian province found himself slapped in the face by an angry man during his inauguration Saturday, an unusual breach of security in the Islamic Republic during a ceremony attended by the country's interior minister, Associated Press informs.
A motive for the attack in Iran's Eastern Azerbaijan province remained unclear, though it targeted a new provincial governor who once served in the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and reportedly had been kidnapped at one point by rebel forces in Syria. One report referred to it as a personal dispute.
According to Associated Press, the new governor, Brig. Gen. Abedin Khorram had taken the podium in the provincial capital of Tabriz when the man strode out from offstage and immediately swung at the official.
