An officer of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, holding the rank of colonel, was assassinated in a shooting near his home in eastern Tehran on Sunday, according to Iranian official sources. The official news agency "IRNA" reported that "Seyyed Khodai, one of the defenders of the shrine, was shot by two individuals on a motorcycle on Mujahideen Islam Street in Tehran." The Iranian media uses the term "defenders of the shrine" to refer to members of the Guard who performed missions in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, where Tehran asserts the presence of its armed forces in an advisory role.
The Revolutionary Guard confirmed in a statement published on its website "Sepah News" that Khodai was a colonel. The Guard's statement indicated an investigation has been launched to identify the "attacker or attackers." According to "IRNA," the assassination occurred around 4:00 PM local time (11:30 AM UTC) when Khodai was returning home. The agency published images showing a person covered in blood with his head bent down, sitting in the driver's seat of a white car. The glass of the window far from the driver appeared shattered.
"IRNA" noted that Khodai was shot five times. Meanwhile, the Tasnim agency reported that Khodai was "close to his home" when he was assassinated, mentioning that "his wife was the first to find his body."
