Gunmen murder Judge while on his way to work

Tragedy struck in Shiraz, southern Iran, on Tuesday morning as a criminal court judge was assassinated while on his way to work. The country’s judiciary confirmed the killing in an official statement.

The victim, Judge Ehsan Bagheri, served as the head of Branch 102 of the Criminal Court 2 in Shiraz. He was reportedly attacked by two unidentified individuals in what authorities have labeled a terrorist act.

According to Mizan Online, the official news outlet of the Iranian judiciary, the judge succumbed to his injuries on the scene. The assailants fled and remain at large, as security forces intensify efforts to track them down.

Bagheri, 38, had over 12 years of experience in the judiciary and was a native of Fars province. Prior to his current position, he had served as a prosecutor and investigator in the Revolutionary Courts of several cities, including Shiraz.

Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei has ordered a special investigation into the killing, which comes amid a wave of violent incidents targeting judicial officials in Iran.

In January, a rare shooting inside Iran’s Supreme Court left two senior judges, Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghisseh, dead. The gunman, in what authorities described as a “planned act of assassination,” took his own life after the attack. Both victims were known for handling high-profile national security cases. Authorities have not yet disclosed the motive behind that incident.

The latest killing also follows another violent episode in Shiraz on Monday night, in which a man fatally shot four people before being wounded and arrested by security forces. Details about that incident have yet to be made public.