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 outside 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 outside the court, 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 a different branch 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”.
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 was also the subject of an attempted assassination attack while he was serving as head of Tehran’s judiciary.
