Two senior judges assassinated in Tehran; shooter takes own life
Two high-profile Iranian judges were killed in a shooting attack on Saturday at the Supreme Court building in the capital Tehran.
A statement issued by the Judiciary identified the judges as Ali Razini, 71, and Mohammad Moghiseh, 68, saying that they worked on cases fighting crimes against national security, espionage and terrorism.
“This morning, a gunman infiltrated the Supreme Court in a planned act of assassination of two brave and experienced judges. The two judges were martyred in the act,” Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said.
Jahangir said the assailant “killed himself” after the shootings, adding that a bodyguard of the judges was also injured in the attack.
The motive behind their killing were not immediately clear. Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.
“We hope to be able to quickly publish the results of the follow-ups to arrest those involved” in the incident, Jahangir said.
According to the preliminary investigation, the attacker was not involved in any cases before the Supreme Court.
Razini, 71, held several important positions in Iran’s judiciary and was previously targeted in an assassination attempt by assailants “who planted a magnetic bomb in his vehicle,” according to Mizan news agency.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in a statement extended condolences to the families of the judges over the “cowardly and inhumane terrorist act” and called for quick investigation into the shooting attack.
Iran’s Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei also in a statement extended condolences over the deaths of the judges.
Ejei praised the two judges, saying that they were constantly at the forefront of achieving justice and securing the rights of the oppressed during their tenures.