Iran Revolutionary Guard shot dead during burglary: police

A member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards was shot dead in his residential building in Tehran during a burglary, a senior police officer said Wednesday.

Qassam Fathollahi was shot "three times when he and a fellow resident tried to capture the burglar in the building's car park," criminal investigation division chief Colonel Morteza Nesari told state broadcaster IRIB.

"Mr. Fathollahi and his neighbour were taken to hospital... but Mr. Fathollahi died from the severity of his injuries and bleeding," the police officer said, adding that the "shooter fled the scene."

IRIB described Fathollahi as a base commander in the Basij, a paramilitary force linked to the Guards.

Iran has been rocked by protests since the September 16 death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, an Iranian Kurd who was arrested for allegedly violating the country's dress code for women.

Iranian officials generally describe the protests as "riots" and say hundreds of people have been killed in, including members of the security forces.

On Saturday, a member of the Basij was shot dead by "armed criminals" in the central city of Semirom, where protesters had gathered, state media reported.

Tehran has accused hostile foreign powers and opposition groups of stoking the unrest.

Last month, Tehran executed two men, both 23, who had been convicted of attacks on the security forces linked to the protests.

The judiciary has handed down 11 other death sentences, four of which have been upheld by the Supreme Court following appeals.