Iran Executes Israel's 'High-Ranking Spy' For Assassination Of Senior Military Officer
Iran executed a man on Wednesday who was found guilty of spying for Israel's Mossad intelligence agency and involvement in the 2022 assassination of a Revolutionary Guards colonel, according to the judiciary.
The man identified as Mohsen Langarneshin, who was labeled a "high-ranking spy" and reportedly supported Mossad's operations within Iran, was executed in the morning, the judiciary’s Mizan Online news outlet reported.
However, the detailed report about Langarneshin's arrest or sentence was not specified.
He was accused of playing a key role in the murder of Colonel Sayyad Khodaei, a member of the Revolutionary Guards, who was shot dead in Tehran in May 2022 by two assailants on a motorcycle.
The New York Times previously reported that Israel had informed the US it was behind the targeted killing. Langarneshin was accused by the judiciary of coming up with a motorcycle to monitor the movement of Colonel Sayyad Khodaei.
Iranian state television reported that Khodaei was a part of the Quds Force, the elite overseas branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and was "well-known" in Syria, where Iran had backed the forces of former president Bashar al-Assad.
Iran frequently reports the capture of alleged spies, often accusing them of working for its main adversary, Israel.
Who Was Mohsen Langarneshin?
Mohsen Langarneshin, a senior Mossad spy, was recruited in 2020 and met with Israeli intelligence officers in Georgia and Nepal, the IRNA news agency reported. As per the report, Langarneshin facilitated logistics support for other agents by renting safe livelihoods across Iran, including in Isfahan.
Langarneshin was also reportedly involved in a drone attack on a military site in Isfahan in January 2023, an incident for which Iran has blamed Israel.
He was tried and confessed before Iran's Revolutionary Court, a closed judicial body known for imposing harsh penalties and offering limited rights to the accused, including restricted access to legal counsel and no media presence.
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