An Iranian judge has been killed in what the authorities call a terrorist attack in the southern city of Shiraz, state media reported on Tuesday.
The victim, Ehsan Bagheri, 38, was attacked by two unidentified assailants who handled a “cold weapon”, which generally refers to a knife or a forceful instrument, while heading to work in the morning, according to the Irna news agency. The authorities did not reveal the exact type of weapon used.
Bagheri served as head of branch 102 of the Criminal Court 2 of Shiraz, according to the report.
Seyed Sadrollah Rajaee-Nasab, head of the Provincial Justice Department, confirmed the murder and said an investigation is underway. The judicial head of Iran, Gholamossein Mohseni-Ejei, has ordered a national hunt to locate those responsible.
The attack follows a separate incident in January in which two prominent judges, Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh, were shot dead in their offices in Tehran, an act that also surprised the judicial community and expressed concerns about the violence directed against legal officials.
The authorities have not yet linked the incidents, but both have caused calls to improved security measures for judicial figures throughout the country.
