Iran Says It Executed Prisoner Accused of Spying for Israel
Iran executed a man convicted of spying for Israel and accused of playing a key role in the assassination of an officer of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the state-run Mizan reported.
Mohsen Langarneshin was accused of working with Israel's intelligence service Mossad for more than two years after being recruited and trained in 2020, Mizan said, adding that Langarneshin was executed early on Wednesday morning.
The Oslo-based Iran Human Rights group said Langarneshin was sentenced after being forced to confess under torture and his parents had kept vigil outside his prison since Tuesday in the hopes that they could save him from execution.
IHR had reported in February that Langarneshin was arrested in July 2023 and had been placed in solitary confinement two months ago after being transferred from Tehran's Evin Prison to a provincial detention center on the outskirts of the city.
The announcement comes weeks after Iran and the US started indirect talks over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and as Israel continues its bombardment of Gaza in its war against Tehran-backed Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the US and many of its allies.
Langarneshin was accused of being present when IRGC Colonel Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, a senior officer heavily involved in Iran's Syria operations, was shot dead outside his home in Tehran in 2022.
Mizan didn't say when Langarneshin was arrested or provide any details of evidence presented at his trial. He was also accused of meeting Mossad officers in Georgia and Nepal and transferring funds on their behalf to other 'operatives' inside Iran.
Langarneshin's arrest and sentence hadn't been publicized by Iranian authorities but a number of Iranian human rights groups based abroad had been tracking his case, citing his family.
Mizan didn't give any details about his legal representation, adding only that his sentence was carried out 'following the full legal proceedings and the final approval of the verdict by the supreme court.'
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
First Published: 1 May 2025, 04:15 AM IST
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