Footage uploaded on Twitter showed angry Iranian protesters pillaging the ground floor of the Saudi embassy, tearing apart furniture, flags, and documents. It was then engulfed in one big blaze, seemingly after the angry mob, outraged over the Saudi execution of prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh al-Nimr, threw Molotov cocktails at the building.
Police eventually resorted to tear gas to scatter the protesters. Police officers managed to force the crowd out of the building and cordon it off again.There were no immediate reports of casualties or injuries in the violence. Photos from inside of the ravaged ground floor appeared to show it had been deserted.
Video shows protesters inside Saudi embassy in Tehran pic.twitter.com/DEmsNLI6ZG
— Sobhan Hassanvand (@Hassanvand) January 2, 2016
Protesters break into Saudi embassy building in Tehran pic.twitter.com/7wtBGpZuco
— Sobhan Hassanvand (@Hassanvand) January 2, 2016
Earlier, images of fire breaking out at the embassy building were shared on Twitter. A Mehr editor has reported a gas explosion, while photos from the scene show the building engulfed in flames.
Gas suspiciously explodes in #Saudi embassy protests in #Tehran. Parking & 1st floor burnt completely. #SheikhNimr pic.twitter.com/xAA9teaUf1
— Hamid Reza (@hamid3663) January 2, 2016
حصار انسانی یگان ویژه نیروی انتظامی اطراف سفارت عربستان در تهران! البته الان دیگه چه فایده ای داره!؟ pic.twitter.com/NrTN8DAkj7
— Behnam2k (@behnam2k) January 2, 2016
Protesters gathered in several cities across Iran on Saturday angered by the Gulf kingdom's execution of al-Nimr, who was put to death along with 46 other prisoners.
Angry proresters throw fire at #Saudi embassy in #Tehran to condemn killing of #SheikhNimr pic.twitter.com/q5fjZwEhsh
— Hamid Reza (@hamid3663) January 2, 2016
Nimr had been the most vocal critic of Saudi Arabia's ruling family prior to mass protests that erupted in 2011. He called for regular demonstrations against the ruling elite. Shiites have long complained that they are victims of discrimination in the Sunni powerhouse. Nimr had often called for better protection for the country's Shiite minority.
Protesters in the city of Mashhad in northwestern Iran gathered on Saturday near the Saudi consulate, throwing Molotov cocktails at the building. Photos showed several protesters trying to climb the fence around the building. There were reportedly some clashes with police.
PHOTOS: Saudi consulate in Mashhad protected w/ fence, angry protesters at consulate over al-Nimr execution pic.twitter.com/3MxFFxMbXX
— Sobhan Hassanvand (@Hassanvand) January 2, 2016
The predominately Shiite Iran has bashed Riyadh, accusing the Kingdom of supporting terrorism and executing its opponents. Iran said it has summoned the Saudi charge d'affaires in Tehran. "The Saudi government supports terrorists and takfiri [heretic] extremists, while executing and suppressing critics inside the country," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said, as cited by state news agency IRNA.
In the wake of the execution, Iranian lawmakers asked the Foreign Ministry to downgrade diplomatic ties with the Saudi government, FARS news agency reported. They proposed reducing the number of Saudi diplomats and consulates in Iran.
In turn, Saudi Arabia summoned the Iranian ambassador in Riyadh over Iran's "hostile" remarks on executions, according to the state news agency SPA.The ministry expressed "astonishment and its utter rejection of these hostile statements, which it deemed a blatant intervention in the kingdom's affairs."
VIDEO: 12:08 AM, seems molotov cocktail thrown at Saudi embassy building in Tehran, protest over al-Nimr execution pic.twitter.com/d6vFKPcD6R
— Sobhan Hassanvand (@Hassanvand) January 2, 2016
The Royal House of Saud should bear in mind what happened to Louis XVI. You don't ever want to be that unpopular with the subjects of your subjugation.