Iran arrests 17 pranksters over videos that ‘spread panic’

By AMIR VAHDAT
Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian police have arrested 17 people who posted prank videos on Instagram pages in recent weeks, saying they’d incited public panic. The clips racked up thousands of views, attracting fans and imitators. Men have smashed cream pies into the faces of hapless bystanders on metro escalators. Actors posing as a private taxi drivers have opened fire on passengers with a fake guns. The arrests were announced on Wednesday. Iranian military and judicial authorities, many who view Western influence with suspicion, maintain tight control over the internet. Hard-liners view social media as part of a “soft war” by the West against the Islamic Republic.