Does anyone think we're involved? Looks like there's more than one way to skin a cat...
Iran Media: Nuclear Scientist Assassinated
online.wsj.com
By CHIP CUMMINS
DUBAI -- A remote-controlled bomb killed a pro-opposition Tehran University professor of nuclear science, Iranian state media reported Tuesday.
Remote-Controlled Bomb Kills Iranian Scientist
Iranian state television says a remote-controlled bomb aboard a motorcycle killed Tehran University professor and nuclear scientist Massoud Ali-Mohammadi. Video courtesy of Reuters.
The victim was identified as Masoud Ali Mohammadi, 50 years old.
Before the election, pro-reform Web sites published Prof. Mohammadi's name among a list of 240 Tehran University teachers who backed opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi.
A spokesman for the atomic agency, Ali Shirzadian, told the Associated Press that the professor had no link with the agency responsible for Iran's contentious nuclear program.
Attacks on Iranian officials and targets in remote provinces aren't uncommon. But a bombing in Tehran, the capital, is rare and the target -- a nuclear scientist -- raised questions over whether the attack was related to Iran's controversial nuclear program. Iran says it is pursuing a peaceful nuclear program, but Western officials allege it is seeking weapons. Last year, the U.S. imposed a year-end deadline for progress in negotiations over Tehran's nuclear ambitions, and has threatened fresh economic sanctions.
Tehran blamed the killing on an armed Iranian opposition group it said operated under the direction of Israel and the U.S., according to state media. Iran often accuses the two countries of meddling in its affairs. An Israeli official declined to comment.
Iran recently accused the U.S. of complicity in an alleged kidnapping of another Iranian nuclear scientist, who disappeared last year during a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. Washington and Saudi Arabia have dismissed any such plot.
More on Iran
Iranian authorities said Tuesday that a parked motorbike was booby-trapped with an explosive device that detonated near the professor's car, close to his home in north Tehran, according to Press TV, the state-run, English-language news agency.
Authorities were investigating but hadn't arrested any suspects, state media reported midday Tuesday. |
