Two senior Iranian Supreme Court judges were fatally shot inside the Palace of Justice by an attacker who then killed himself.
Key Facts
- Date
- 18 January 2025
- Location
- Supreme Court, Palace of Justice, Tehran
- Judges killed
- Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh
- Third judge
- Survived injuries
- Perpetrator
- Died by suicide before apprehension
- Weapon obtained
- Seized from a bodyguard after knife attack
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
An unidentified man entered the Supreme Court of Iran armed with a knife. He attacked a bodyguard, disarmed him, and took possession of the bodyguard's handgun. No confirmed motive was released, though the targeted judges had presided over cases involving protesters, artists, and activists and had roles in the 1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners.
On 18 January 2025, the attacker opened fire inside the Palace of Justice in Tehran, shooting judges Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh in their offices. Both senior Sharia judges died from their wounds. A third judge was also shot but survived. The incident occurred within the Supreme Court building.
The perpetrator killed himself before security forces could apprehend him. The attack drew attention to the backgrounds of the deceased judges, who had been linked to controversial judicial proceedings against dissidents and to the mass executions of political prisoners in 1988. No group claimed responsibility and no official motive was established.