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Iran: Three police officers die in clashes with dervishes Iran: Five security personnel die in clashes with dervishes
(about 17 hours later)
Three Iranian police officers have been killed in clashes with members of a Sufi Muslim religious community, police say. Five Iranian security personnel have been killed in clashes with members of a Sufi Muslim group, police say.
A protest by dervishes at a police station in northern Tehran turned violent when the policemen were hit and killed by a bus. Three policemen were killed by a bus, a security official was stabbed to death and a fifth killed in a car-ramming attack, police said.
Rights groups say Sufi dervishes have faced persecution in Iran. It happened as Gonabadi dervishes protested over the detention of one of their members in northern Tehran.
One Iranian news agency described the incident as "deadly and bloody" and the dervishes as a "cult". Rights groups say Sufi dervishes are persecuted by the Iranian authorities, who see their practices as a threat.
Nine protesters including the bus driver have been arrested, an Iranian police spokesman said. They regard the religious order as going against the Shiism endorsed by the state.
Often described as Islamic mysticism, Sufism emphasises the inner search for God and the renunciation of worldly matters.
More than 300 protesters, and the driver of the vehicles, were arrested in connection with the violence, police said.
BBC Persian posted a video of the incident on their Twitter account.BBC Persian posted a video of the incident on their Twitter account.
Videos published on social media before the incident showed dervishes holding a sit-in protest in front of a police station against the detention of one of their members. Videos published on social media before the clashes showed dervishes holding a sit-in protest in front of a police station where one of their members was being held.
A video posted on Twitter shows some protesters marching in the middle of the road and some others sitting on the road, holding banners with the photo of the arrested dervish, chanting "God is great."A video posted on Twitter shows some protesters marching in the middle of the road and some others sitting on the road, holding banners with the photo of the arrested dervish, chanting "God is great."
Dervishes reported that the police used tear gas to disperse their gathering and videos on social media showed riot police chasing the protesters.Dervishes reported that the police used tear gas to disperse their gathering and videos on social media showed riot police chasing the protesters.