Iranian judge stabbed to death in suspected terrorist attack

Judge Ehsan Bagheri, 38, was fatally attacked with a cold weapon by two assailants while heading to work in Shiraz

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An Iranian judge has been killed in what authorities are calling 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 wielding a "cold weapon" — typically referring to a knife or blunt instrument — while on his way to work in the morning, according to the IRNA news agency. Officials did not disclose the exact type of weapon used.

Bagheri was serving as the head of Branch 102 of Shiraz's Criminal Court 2, the report said.

Seyed Sadrollah Rajaee-Nasab, the head of the provincial justice department, confirmed the killing and said an investigation is underway. Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, has ordered a nationwide manhunt to track down those responsible.

The attack follows a separate incident in January in which two prominent judges, Ali Razini and Mohammad Moghiseh, were fatally shot in their offices in Tehran — an act that also shocked the judicial community and raised concerns about targeted violence against legal officials.

Authorities have not yet linked the incidents, but both have sparked calls for enhanced security measures for judicial figures across the country.