Slain BC-Based Iranian Activist Had Previously Warned About People Arrested Following His Murder

Two suspects have been charged with first-degree murder after the remains of Iranian activist Masood Masjoody were found in British Columbia.

Masjoody, a mathematician who had been critical of the Iranian regime, went missing in early February in Burnaby, B.C. The RCMP’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) launched an investigation into the whereabouts of 45-year-old Masjoody on the evening of Feb. 2 after receiving reports from concerned neighbours.

Initial investigation by the Burnaby RCMP determined Masjoody’s disappearance was “out of character and criminality was involved,” and evidence led investigators to believe Masjoody was a victim of homicide.

Masjoody had posted on social media last October about a man and woman, alleging they were out to kill him, and now several months later, the two individuals are the two suspects police have arrested in connection with Masjoody’s death.

The RCMP said in a March 14 media release that investigators pursued “a number of investigative avenues and undertook searches in multiple locations of interest.” The team said an extensive search involving the use of police dogs and Mission Search and Rescue led them to locate Masjoody’s remains in Mission, B.C., about 60 kilometres from Burnaby, on March 6.

Police arrested Mehdi Ahmadzadeh Razavi, 48, of Maple Ridge and Arezou Soltani, 45, of North Vancouver on March 13 in relation to the homicide of Masjoody. The two suspects have each been charged with one count of first-degree murder.

“We understand this case has impacted the Iranian community and has generated widespread concern and public interest,” Sgt. Freda Fong said. “While the motive is still under investigation, we can say the victim and two accused were known to each other.”

B.C. court records indicate Masjoody had launched several civil cases in recent years, including against Ahmadzadeh Razavi and Soltani.

He had also filed lawsuits accusing academics, legal figures, and journalists of defamation, including Iran’s Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of Iran.

Pahlavi filed an affidavit with the B.C. Supreme Court last November after learning Masjoody had won a default judgment against him in a defamation action. Pahlavi’s affidavit said he didn’t know Masjoody and had no involvement in any “publication of defamatory or harassing content” that Masjoody alleged was targeted toward him.

Escalation of Violence

The murder of Masjoody comes amid numerous acts of violence in Canada following a joint military operation carried by the United States and Israel to launch airstrikes against Iran on Feb. 28, after negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program broke down. Iran responded to the attack with retaliatory missile and drone strikes against Israel and neighbouring countries hosting U.S. military bases.

In the days following the onset of the military operation, a series of shootings targeting synagogues occurred in the Toronto area.

Police responded to reports of gunfire at two different Toronto-area synagogues in the early hours of March 7, after responding to a similar shooting targeting another Toronto-area synagogue on March 2. Prior to that, a Toronto-area gym owned by an Iranian-Canadian activist was shot at 17 times on March 1.

The U.S. Consulate in Toronto was subsequently targeted by gunfire on the morning of March 10.

The shooting investigations are ongoing and police have not arrested any suspects. No injuries have been reported as a result of the shootings.

Police services in the Toronto area on Feb. 28 said they were increasing their presence to deter criminal activity amid the Iran war, . The shootings also prompted police in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C., to send additional police resources to Jewish community organizations and places of worship, despite saying there were no known threats to synagogues in British Columbia.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.