Two senior judges of Iran’s Supreme Court were killed in a gun attack. The incident occurred on Saturday morning (January 18) at the Tehran tribunal building. The accused attacker also committed suicide during the incident.
The deceased judges were identified as Hojjat al-Islam Rajini and Hojjat al-Islam Wal-Muslimeen Mokiseh. They served as heads of various branches of the court.
In a statement, the Iranian Judiciary’s media center said the slain judges were actively involved in combating crimes related to national security, espionage, and terrorism. The statement described them as courageous and experienced.
Judiciary spokesperson Asghar Jahangir told Iranian state television that an armed individual entered the judges’ chamber and opened fire. However, the identity and motive of the attacker were not immediately known.
The media center further stated that preliminary investigations revealed the perpetrator had no prior involvement in any Supreme Court case and was merely a visitor to the court.
A security guard was also injured during the attack. Authorities are currently working to identify and detain other suspects linked to the incident.
Judge Hojjat al-Islam Rajini had survived an assassination attempt in 1998 while serving as the head of Tehran’s judiciary. Meanwhile, Judge Mokiseh was sanctioned by the United States in 2019 for allegedly conducting numerous unjust trials.
Attacks targeting judges are rare in Iran. However, in recent years, several high-profile individuals in the country have been targeted in shootings.