An armed assailant fatally shot [sup]two notorious Iranian judges inside the Islamic Republic’s supreme court on Saturday.
Judges Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini were known for ordering harsh sentences, including executions, during their decades-long careers. Such judges are known as “judges of death” and “executioners” in Iran.
Iran’s judiciary said a “planned assassination” was carried out by “an armed infiltrator” inside the supreme court building in Tehran, the capital.
“Based on preliminary investigations, the individual in question neither had a case in the supreme court nor was a visitor to its branches,” the judiciary said in a report.
The assailant shot the supreme court judges before “quickly committing suicide”.
Foreign involvement not ruled out
Asghar Jahangir, a spokesman for Iran’s judiciary, told state television that the assailant was armed with a handgun.
“At around 10 to 10.45 this morning, the assailant entered the offices of two brave and experienced judges of the judiciary inside the supreme court,” he said.
“We don’t know the motive behind the assassination, as the assailant killed himself while fleeing the scene, but we are investigating,” he added.
While no group has claimed responsibility, Iran’s judiciary did not rule out foreign involvement.
“It is worth noting that over the past year, the judiciary has carried out extensive actions to identify, pursue, arrest, and prosecute individuals and elements affiliated with the evil Zionist regime, America’s allies, spies, and terrorist groups.”
The building was evacuated following the shooting.
Directly involved in crimes against humanity
The shooting marks one of the most significant attacks on Iran’s judiciary in recent years.
Both Ayatollahs held high-ranking positions in Iran’s judicial system.
Moghiseh, who faced sanctions from the United States and European Union for human rights violations, had issued more than 1,600 years in combined prison sentences across 335 cases in recent years, according to human rights groups.
He was particularly known for prosecuting political prisoners following Iran’s 2009 presidential election protests.
