Judge 'assassinated' in southern Iran — judiciary

_______________

TEHRAN - A criminal court judge in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz in Fars province was assassinated Tuesday morning on his way to work, the judiciary said.

"This morning, two individuals attacked and assassinated Judge Ehsan Bagheri, head of Branch 102 of the Criminal Court 2 in Shiraz, while he was on his way to work," the judiciary's Mizan Online reported.

"Unfortunately, as a result of this terrorist act, he was martyred," it added.

The assailants remain at large, and their motives are not yet known.

Bagheri, 38, had more than 12 years of judicial experience and was a native of Fars province, whose capital Shiraz is located about 900 kilometres (550 miles) south of Tehran.

He previously served as a prosecutor and investigator in Revolutionary Courts in several cities, including Shiraz, before being appointed to lead Branch 102 of the criminal court.

Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei ordered a special investigation into the killing.

The attack comes after two judges were shot dead in a rare assault inside Iran's Supreme Court in January.

A gunman opened fire in what the judiciary described as a "planned act of assassination," killing veteran judges Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghisseh before taking his own life.

Both men had presided over high-profile national security cases.

Authorities said at the time that an investigation was underway, but the motive remained unclear.

On Monday night, a man killed four people in the same city before being shot and arrested by security forces.

No further details have been released.