Iranian police have arrested more than 260 people, including three European citizens, on suspicion of spreading satanism, the state-run IRNA news agency reported Friday.
The report said the suspects were arrested on Thursday night in Shahryar County, west of the capital of Tehran, for “spreading the culture of satanism and nudity.” It did not elaborate.
It was not clear how such a large number of arrests were made in one night — if the suspects were in one location, at some gathering or party, or not.
Gatherings where unrelated men and women are seen together are illegal in Iran and considered a sin under Islamic law.
One likely fueling the other. Between the near open war with Israel and a satanic panic, I’m sure Iran was rife with conspiracy theory and QAnon style hysteria before their President pancaked into a mountain.
I can’t imagine the reactionary elements in the country growing any less paranoid and superstitious in the wake of the crash.