Assailant kills himself after shooting senior justices in the centre of the Iranian capital.
Two senior justices in the Iranian Supreme Court have been killed in a shooting attack at the tribunal building in central Tehran, according to the judiciary and state media.
The “assassination” was carried out by an armed person, who killed himself after opening fire early on Saturday, according to a statement by the media centre of the judiciary.
The victims were identified as Hojjat al-Islam Razini and Hojjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Moqisseh, each of whom presided over different branches of the court.
“[They] were actively involved in combating crimes against national security, espionage, and terrorism,” the statement added, describing the slain judges as “courageous and experienced”.
Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir told the Iranian state television that “a person armed with a handgun entered the room” of the two judges and shot them.
The identity of the attacker and his motive were not immediately clear.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the perpetrator had no prior cases in the Supreme Court nor was he one of its visitors,” the statement said.
According to the state-owned Tehran Times, a bodyguard was also injured in the attack on Saturday, the first working day of the week in the Iranian calendar.
Iranian media said an investigation was under way to identify and arrest other suspects who may have been involved in the attack.
In 1998, Razini, 71, was also the subject of an attempted assassination attack while he was serving as head of Tehran’s judiciary.
Moqisseh, 68, was sanctioned in 2019 by the United States for having “overseen countless unfair trails, during which charges went unsubstantiated and evidence was disregarded”, according to the US Department of the Treasury.
Though attacks targeting judges are rare, Iran has seen a number of shootings targeting high-profile figures over the past years.
In October, a Shia Muslim preacher was shot dead in the southern city of Kazeroun after leading Friday prayers.
In April 2023, a powerful cleric identified as Abbas Ali Soleimani was also shot dead at a bank in the northern province of Mazandaran.
And in August 2005, renowned Iranian judge Hassan Moghaddas was murdered by two gunmen who climbed into his car in the middle of a busy business district in Tehran.
Two men convicted over his killing were publicly executed by hanging two years later.
