Iranian nuclear physics professor dies in Tehran bomb blast - reports (regime blames opposition)

BBC ^ | 12 January 2010 | BBC

[SolidWood]

An Iranian nuclear physics professor has been killed in a bomb attack in the capital Tehran, Iranian media say.

They say that Masoud Mohammadi died after a remotely controlled bomb exploded near his home.

Iranian media describe him as a "devoted revolutionary professor" killed by "anti-revolutionary" groups.

It comes at a time of heightened tension in Iran, following June's disputed presidential election and mass protests against the government.

Prof Mohammadi of Tehran University "was killed in a booby-trapped motorbike blast" in the city's northern Qeytariyeh district, Press TV said.

It showed pictures from the scene of the blast, saying windows in the nearby buildings were shattered by the force of the explosion.

Local media reports say the bomb was attached to a motorcycle parked outside Prof Mohammadi's home, although one agency said it was planted in a rubbish bin.

State broadcaster Irib said Prof Mohammadi "was martyred this morning in a terrorist act by anti-revolutionary and arrogant powers' elements".

[SolidWood]

Prof Mohammadi was killed as he was leaving his home, media say

Police sealed off the area and launched an investigation

[SolidWood]

Ping!

[mazda77]

This same sort of thing started to happen right before the 79 revolution except it was drive-by shootings mostly from motorcycles. The victims were normally government officials, police or US military people. We had a rash of these right before I was rotated back to the US. A couple of weeks before I left, an Army officer and his driver were killed in front of his house about six homes down the street from ours.

This is what I was waiting to see to signal the serious start of the new revolution. It would have happened sooner if the “man-child” would have at least given serious moral support to the protestors back in June.

[MissDairyGoodnessVT]

i feel for the family.
only most recently the gov’t declared “Neda” a drive-by

[DGHoodini]

Except that it makes no sense....Now if it had been Larijani, or Yazdi, or Mortazavi...

[DannyTN]

Possibilites:

1. The anti-revolution revolutionaries score a hit.
2. He was behind in production and I'mANutJob had him taken out.
3. Israel is buying time, by knocking out some of the top nuke talent.
4. The French are showing Obama what it means to have a spine. (Yes it's reverso world.)
5. There was a Christian in the building, and the evil scientist was collateral damage.
6. The prof was sidelining as a petty terrorist and it was his own bike and bomb.

[nikos1121]

I think it’s obvious isn’t it? NO. 3!

[FormerACLUmember]

Now he is a good IslamoFascist. Peace be on to you, sc*mb*g.

[DannyTN]

#3 would certainly seem to be the most likely one.

Of all the targets, you wouldn’t think the anti-revolutionaries would care about a nuke scientist at all.

[SolidWood]

Either 1., 2., 3. or 7. He was going to spill the beans/defect/working for the West or the opposition and got whacked by the regime, which comfortably blames it on the opposition.

I don't think anyone can say with certainty. However I doubt that anyone outside of the regime could so easily access and target a (supposedly) important nuclear scientist. Either inside job - or anti-regime forces (internal or external) have infiltrated deep enough to get to him.

[dawn53]

I vote for #3.

[theDentist]

I hope CIA, MI5, and/or Mossad was responsible. :-D

[section9]

The Central Intelligence Agency couldn’t put the hearse in the right place in a two-car funeral.

Now the Mossad, on the other hand, understands that in the middle of chaotic social upheaval, knocking off the top tier of Iran’s nuclear talent is a good use of their time.

Oy!

Best,

Chris

[agere_contra]

Me too!

Minor, minor point: MI6 is the agency that might conceivably have done this (though of course Mossad is most likely). MI5 is counter-espionage.

[Wyatt's Torch]

From Twitter. OxfordGirl is on the ground in Iran and has been tweeting invaluable information since the June election

@oxfordgirl: Assassination has all the haulmarks of government operation. Need to find what he knew and why they wanted him silenced. #iranelection

[PIF]

Just one among numerous nuclear scientists that have died or disappeared in Iran or outside the country recently...

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

I vote for #3.

[bert]

......killed by “anti-revolutionary” groups....

Mossad? CIA? Delta Force? 007? Saudi Secret Service?

[theDentist]

agere.. MI6? Noted.

section9: As the saying goes, CIAs failures are public, but successes are secret. It's in their favor to portray them as bumbling Gilligans, but I think they're probably much more effective than you credit them.

[demshateGod]

Maybe he was going to change sides.