Four, including possible minor, hanged in Iran capital

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Nov. 09 – Four men, one of whom is believed to be a teenager, were hanged in a prison in Tehran, a state-run daily reported on Thursday. Iran Focus

Tehran, Iran, Nov. 09 – Four men, one of whom is believed to be a teenager, were hanged in a prison in Tehran, a state-run daily reported on Thursday.

The four men, identified only by their first names Mohammad-Reza, Farhad, Hashem, and Hamid, were hanged in prison on Wednesday, according to the daily “Iran”.

The report described Mohammad-Reza as a “young boy” at the time of his alleged crime. He was charged with killing a man in the Iranian capital’s Nezam-Abad District in May 2004.

During his interrogation, Mohammad-Reza reportedly told investigators that he was in need of money because of his mother’s poor financial situation.

In court, Mohammad-Reza insisted that he had not intended to kill the man who owed him the equivalent of $500 and that the shooting was accidental.

He said that he accidentally shot the man as he was pointing a gun to frighten him into handing over the money.

Immediately after the shooting, Mohammad-Reza fled to a nearby school and held several people hostage before letting them free.