A news agency with links to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has apparently threatened to kill a prominent ex-Bayern footballer.

The Fars news agency, which has ties to Revolutionary Guard, has said in an article published on its website that retired footballer Ali Karimi has a “leader role for the rioters”, adding that they should “be careful of Ali Karimi’s life.”

Fars, who has previously said that Karimi should be punished, appeared to attribute the threat to “counter-revolution” measures, according to independent Iranian media.

The footballer, who has been outspoken about the ongoing protests gripping Iran, said in a tweet on 24th October that he has received indirect threats and has been pressured by the country’s security forces.

Protests have been gripping Iran since the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, from Saqqez, Kurdistan Province, who was on a visit to Tehran when she was arrested by morality police accused of violating hijab rules on 13th September.

She was allegedly beaten while in custody and spent the following days in a coma in the hospital before succumbing in the ICU on 16th September.

The clinic where she was treated said in a now-deleted social media post that she had been admitted brain-dead.

Alleged medical scans of her skull leaked by hackers showed that she had suffered bone fractures, haemorrhages, and brain oedema.

Anti-regime media are claiming that Mahsa’s medical records showing her history of heart disease were faked by the Iranian government.

The protests her death sparked are ongoing and, according to the non-profit Iran Human Rights, at least 201 people, including 28 children, have been killed so far, according to its latest figures released on 12th October.