Senior Iranian judges assassinated in Tehran supreme court attack

Two senior Iranian judges have been shot dead in an apparent assassination in the country’s supreme court.

Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh were killed after a gunman entered the court, in the capital Tehran, on Saturday morning.

The attacker killed himself while fleeing the scene, according to the judiciary’s news website, Mizan. A bodyguard was also injured in the attack.

The motive for the attack is unclear, but both judges are said to have played a role in the crackdown on opponents of the Islamic government since the 1980s.

In a statement, the judiciary’s media office described the attack as premeditated assassination.

It also said that, according to initial findings, the attacker had not been involved in any case considered by the supreme court. Officials are investigating whether anyone else is involved in the attack.

Both victims have been in the judiciary for decades. In the supreme court, their responsibilities would have included confirming death sentences.

Razini, 71, was one of Iran’s most senior judges and survived an assassination attempt in 1998.

Moghiseh, 68, has been sanctioned by the EU, the US and Canada over alleged human rights abuses.