Judges shot dead in Iranian Supreme Court building | Iran

Two judges were killed in a shooting at Tehran’s Supreme Court building on Saturday, Iranian state media reported.

“This morning, a gunman infiltrated the Supreme Court in a planned act of assassination of two courageous and experienced judges. The two judges were martyred in this act,” the judiciary’s Mizan Online website reported.

Mizan said the attacker committed suicide after the act. The official IRNA news agency said another person was injured.

The two murdered judges were identified by Mizan as Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghisseh, both of whom were handling cases “fighting crimes against national security, espionage and terrorism.”

Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir told state television that “a person armed with a gun entered the room” of the two judges and shot them.

“People have been identified, summoned or arrested in connection with this incident,” he added, without providing further details.

The motive for the killing was not immediately clear, but Mizan said the attacker was not involved in any case before the Supreme Court.

Authorities said an investigation into the attack was underway.

President Masoud Pezeshkian expressed his condolences for the deaths, calling on authorities to act quickly.

He said: “I strongly urge security and law enforcement agencies to take necessary action as soon as possible by examining the dimensions and angles of this reprehensible act and identifying its perpetrators. »

Veteran judge Moghisseh, 68, was sanctioned by the United States in 2019 for “overseeing countless unfair trials, in which accusations were unfounded and evidence was ignored,” according to the U.S. Treasury .

Razini, 71, has held several important positions in the Iranian justice system and was already the target of an assassination attempt in 1998 by assailants “who planted a magnetic bomb in his vehicle,” according to Mizan.

Although attacks targeting judges are rare, Iran has seen a number of shootings targeting high-profile figures in recent years.

In October, a Shiite preacher was shot dead in the southern town of Kazerun after leading Friday prayers.

In April 2023, a powerful cleric identified as Abbas Ali Soleimani was shot dead at a bank in the northern province of Mazandaran.