Iran: 2 Supreme Court Judges Shot Dead In Tehran, Attacker Commits Suicide After Opening Fire
The judges have been identified as Hojjat al-Islam Razini and Hojjat al-Islam Muslimeen Moghisheh. They presided over "national security cases, including those involving terrorism and espionage".
Two Supreme Court judges were killed on Saturday morning after an unidentified armed assailant opened fire at them outside the Supreme Court in a bustling area of central Tehran. The motive behind the assassination remains unclear.
Both the judges died on the spot in the shooting, and another judge sustained injuries in the firing, Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
Shortly after opening fire at the judges, the attacked killed himself. The judges have been identified as Ali Razini (Hojjat al-Islam Razini) and Mohammad Moghiseh (Hojjat al-Islam Muslimeen Moghisheh). Both of them presided over different judicial branches in the Iranian capital, Anadolu Agency reported.
A bodyguard of one of the judges was also wounded in the attack, news agency Reuters reported.
The judiciary’s media center issued a statement after the incident, describing the attack as a "premeditated action." It stated that the the two victims were "dedicated and revolutionary judges who firmly stood against those disrupting public security."
“This morning, an armed infiltrator in the Supreme Court acted on a pre-planned assassination [plot] against two brave judges with a long history of fighting crimes against national security, spies, and terrorism,” the statement read.
Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir told state television that the two judges had been involved in "national security cases, including those involving terrorism and espionage," Reuters reported.
"In the past year, the judiciary has undertaken extensive efforts to identify spies and terrorist groups, a move that has sparked anger and resentment among the enemies," he said.
“Right after the terrorist act, an attempt was made to arrest the gunman, who then quickly committed suicide,” it added.
The report further noted that these cases were related to those linked to Israel and the Iranian opposition, which is supported by the US. Razini was a target of an assassination attempt even back in 1998.
Preliminary police investigation has revealed that the assailant did not have any pending case in the Supreme Court and neither was he a client of the branches headed by the two slain judges, Anadolu Agency reported.
There has been no official reaction from any senior political or military leaders over the incident outside the Supreme Court. An investigation has been launched to identify and arrest those involved in the assassination plot.
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