TEHRAN – Ayatollah Abbas-Ali Soleimani, a member of the Assembly of Experts, lost his life on Wednesday morning during an armed attack in Babolsar, northern Iran.

The attack took place in the northern province of Mazandaran. Rouhollah Selgi, the deputy governor of the province for security affairs, said Ayatollah Soleimani was attacked by gunmen and an assailant has been arrested.

Ayatollah Soleimani previously served as the representative of the Leader to Sistan-Baluchistan province. He also was the Friday prayer imam of Zahedan, the capital of the southeastern province. In Zahedan, Ayatollah Soleimani was in charge of the affairs of Sunni Muslims.

No details released about the motives behind the attack.