Two prominent judges of Iran’s Supreme Court were killed in an attack at the court’s headquarters, officials reported.
The victims were identified as Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh. Another judge was also injured in the attack, which occurred at the Justice Palace in Tehran.
Iran’s judiciary’s media office reported that an armed person had “infiltrated the Supreme Court in a planned act to assassinate the two judges.”
The motive for the attack remains unclear.
An initial investigation revealed that the assailant had no prior case before the court, nor any other known connections, the Iranian judiciary’s media office said.
The Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in Iran, and its head is appointed by the supreme leader. It is headquartered in Tehran, with branches across the country.
Details of the incident remain unclear. The judiciary’s media office reported that the assailant “committed suicide” after the shootings, though this information has not been confirmed.
Other Iranian media outlets reported that the attacker was a member of a “security infiltration force,” who first injured a guard with a knife, then took the weapon and proceeded to carry out the killings.
The semi-official news agency Mehr, citing sources, reported that the judges were shot before the assailant committed suicide, according to Radio Free Europe.
Both victims held significant positions within Iran’s powerful judicial system. Judge Mohammad Moghiseh had judged several political cases, including those involving supporters of the 2009 Green Movement opposition. He was under sanctions by the European Union and the United States for human rights violations.
Judge Ali Razini had held several high-ranking posts and was accused by opposition groups in Iran of being involved in a series of extrajudicial executions of political prisoners in 1988.