An Iranian cultural centre in Quito was attacked by a group, leaving one person injured and the building damaged as Middle East tensions escalate.
QUITO: Several people attacked an Iranian cultural centre in Ecuador’s capital Quito, police said on Saturday, leaving one person injured and the facility damaged.
Authorities said a group arrived at the centre in a convoy of vehicles and used sticks, stones and tear gas to break windows and assault people inside.
Videos shared on social media show people with Israeli, US and Iranian opposition flags near the facility during the incident.
A woman can be heard shouting, “Get out, murderers, get out, terrorists. You have to leave this country,” in the footage.
People at the centre were praying during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan when the attack occurred.
“It is an act of aggression,” police said in a statement to the media regarding the incident.
The attack comes amid heightened regional tensions following US and Israeli strikes against Iran.
Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in those strikes on Tehran, as confirmed by state media.
Washington and Tel Aviv have since vowed to seek regime change in the Islamic republic.
Iran has retaliated with reported strikes across the Gulf, including in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi and near regional US military bases.
It remains unclear whether anyone has been arrested in connection with the attack on the cultural centre in Quito.
