Missing Iranian Cleric Found Dead in Caspian Sea

An Iranian cleric who had been missing for three days was found dead in the Caspian Sea on May 5, local media reported. 

Reports said that the body of Ebrahim Fazel was sent to a medical examiner to determine the cause of death. 

Fazel was last seen on Kerfun Behnmir beach in the city of Joibar. 

The prosecutor's office of Joibar said that the cleric went for a swim and was expected to return home with his driver.

Fazel was the son of Mohammad Fazel, the founder of Mazandaran Seminary. His brother, cleric Seyed Mahmoud Nabaviyan, is a member of parliament and of the radical Stability Front.

The incident comes after Ayatollah Abbas Ali Suleimani, the former representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to Sistan and Baluchistan province and a member of the powerful Council of Experts, was shot dead in the northern province of Mazandaran.