A security guard at Mehrabad Airport was killed during a maneuver.
Three days after the news of the "countering terrorist acts" exercise at Mehrabad Airport was published, the media in Iran reported the death of an airport security officer during the exercise, and the IRGC Security Command's public relations department later confirmed it.
The Qanon newspaper wrote on Tuesday, July 26: "Mehdi Yazdi, a security guard at Mehrabad Airport, who was injured during a shooting in Mehrabad, has been martyred."
On Saturday, July 25, the deputy security officer of the Tehran governor's office announced that a "countering terrorist acts" maneuver was held in Hall 4 of the airport.
Akbar Qandloo, the head of public relations for the IRGC's Security Command, confirmed in an interview with Fars News Agency on Tuesday that IRGC Major General Mehdi Yazdi, a member of the airport security forces, had been killed, saying that he had been wounded in the head during a recent security maneuver at Mehrabad Airport.
According to the Young Journalists Club, affiliated with the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation, Mohsen Hamedani said about the sound of gunfire heard at Terminal 4 of Mehrabad Airport that on Saturday morning, July 23, the armed forces held a "limited internal maneuver" at the airport.
The deputy security officer for Tehran's governor's office announced that the sound of gunfire was also related to the same maneuver and "there is no reason for concern."
According to Mr. Hamedani, after two "terrorist" incidents in Tehran, security and military forces have held maneuvers, and Saturday's maneuver was held in the vicinity of Mehrabad Airport with the aim of "increasing readiness to confront terrorist acts."
However, until Tuesday, apart from the Telegram channels of Iran Newspaper and the Young Journalists Club, no source had reported the injury or death of a security guard at Mehrabad Airport.
A maneuver to "test the security forces"
According to ILNA news agency, images and videos published by passengers and people present at the airport indicate that passengers and even airport staff were not aware of this counter-terrorist maneuver and operation, and an atmosphere of fear and panic has been created in one of the terminals of Mehrabad Airport.
The ISNA news agency then quoted an unnamed "informed official" as saying that the move was taken without prior notice and "suddenly" so that "the security forces could be thoroughly tested and simulate the situation."
This "informed official" and the deputy security officer of the Tehran Governor's Office did not provide an explanation as to whether all security forces inside Hall 4 of Mehrabad Airport were aware of this maneuver.
According to reports, Terminal 4 of Mehrabad Airport is for domestic flight departures, but according to information published on the airport's flight announcement website, no flights were operated from this hall on Saturday morning.
Since 1984, a unit called the "Aviation Protection Corps" has been tasked with preventing hijackings and providing security for parts of Iran's airports.
Source: Radio Farda
