- Summary- Growing public fury over woman's death in police custody- Khamenei says Amini's death 'deeply broke my heart'- Supreme leader blames foreign foes for 'riots'- Anti-government protests spread to universitiesDUBAI, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader on Monday gave his full backing to security forces confronting protests ignited by the death of Mahsa Amini in custody, comments that could herald a harsher crackdown to quell unrest more than two weeks since she died.The ones who attack the police are leaving Iranian citizens defenceless against thugs, robbers and extortionists," Khamenei told a group of armed forces cadets in Tehran.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSecurity forces, including police and the volunteer Basij militia, have been leading a crackdown on the protests, with thousands arrested and hundreds injured, according to rights groups, which put the death toll at over 130.'HARSH PUNISHMENT'Within hours after Amini's funeral in the Kurdish town of Saqez on Sept. 17, thousands of Iranians poured into the streets across the country, with people burning pictures of Khamenei and chanting "Death to the dictator", according to videos on social media.Demonstrations also spread to dozens of universities, with university students staging strikes to protest a late Sunday attack by security forces at Tehran's prominent Sharif University."