Iran executes man over armed attacks in Kerman during nationwide protests, says he sent messages to Israel
The judiciary said a search of Alisina Mostafavi's hideout turned up a sniper rifle, a shotgun, 246 cartridges and 30 Molotov cocktails
Iran executed Alisina Mostafavi after its Supreme Court upheld his death sentence, the Iranian judiciary news outlet Mizan reported. The court described Mostafavi as “an armed terrorist and agent of the American-Zionist enemy,” who launched armed operations in the city of Kerman during what Iranian authorities call the Ramadan War in February and March.
According to the judiciary, Mostafavi tried to carry out armed attacks in Kerman in several stages. The first was a shooting in Azadi Square that injured a citizen and a young girl. On May 1, the court said he opened fire on conscripts and passing vehicles, injuring several citizens. It also cited two earlier unsuccessful shootings at the Kerman-Mahan traffic police.
The judiciary said a search of his hideout turned up a Brno sniper rifle with a scope, a shotgun, an unlicensed hunting rifle, 246 Brno cartridges and 30 Molotov cocktails.
It said he was an active member of a “royalist terrorist network” with extensive connections to hostile media outlets. During the war, he allegedly filmed sites hit by enemy projectiles and sent the footage to anti-Iranian networks. Additionally, documents the court claims were on Mostafavi's phone showed he announced his readiness to carry out an attack at Kerman Airport in messages to Persian-language networks, and that he sent numerous Persian messages to an official Israeli account.
The charges heard in court included war with the intent to cause terror, attempted murder, intentional bodily harm by shooting, manufacturing and storing explosives, drawing weapons with the intent to kill, and communication with hostile media affiliated with Israel. The judiciary said the case was heard with a lawyer present, and that the death sentence was based on the evidence, field investigations, judicial officers’ reports, and “the defendant’s own explicit confessions.”
Mostafavi's appeal was rejected, and the Supreme Court confirmed the verdict. He was executed this morning, the judiciary said.