Islamic Center in MI honors 'Butcher of Tehran' and other 'martyrs' killed in Iran crash

The Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights held a memorial on Thursday for Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, known as the "Butcher of Tehran" for killing thousands of dissidents; Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian; Malek Rahmati, the governor-general of East Azerbaijan province in Iran; and Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Al-Hashem, an Iranian jurist.

The officials were killed in a helicopter crash in northern Iran on May 19.

No foul play is suspected; the crash has been blamed on weather conditions.

The Islamic center put out a flyer about the event, expressing solidarity with Iranians and advocates of "peace and justice globally" to honor the fallen figures.

"The global community is grappling with this tragedy, unsure whether it was a catastrophic accidental crash or a deliberate evil act of terrorism," a mosque flyer states.

The Biden administration was criticized last week for expressing condolences to the families of those killed, given that they were involved in terrorism and a brutal regime in Iran.