Local prosecutor assassinated in northwest Iran

KHOY, Iran, Jan. 19 (MNA) – Two gunmen assassinated the prosecutor of Khoy city in front of his home late Monday and fled the scene.


The prosecutor, Vali Haji Hajgholizadeh, was gunned down at around 8:00 p.m. local time.


An official from West Azarbaijan province said the PJAK terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the assassination.


“Last night (Monday night) the agents of this terrorist group in the region took the responsibility of this vicious event,” Fakhr Ali Nikbakht, the province’s political director, told the Mehr News Agency.


PJAK (Party of Free Life of Kurdistan), is aligned with Turkey’s Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). The terrorist group has been behind a string of terror attacks in northwestern Iran.


Khoy, a city in West Azarbaijan province, is near the border with Turkey.


Khoy governor Ebrahim Mohammadlou Bamdad said an investigation is underway to identify and arrest the culprits behind the terror. He said so far four suspects have been arrested.


The governor said anti-revolutionary groups are the main suspect.


Mohammadlou Bamdad told the MNA that the slain prosecutor had no personal problem with any person or group.


He predicted that culprits would be apprehended in the next 48 hours.