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The Iranian terrorist IRGC (Revolutionary Guards) has killed one of its own high-ranking officers for suspected espionage, according to a Thursday report.
Col. Ali Esmailzadeh was killed on Monday over suspicions he leaked information related to the assassination of the IRGC’s Col. Hassan Sayyad Khodaei late last month, Iran International reported.
Esmailzadeh died in a fall from his roof in Karaj, Iran, in an incident the IRGC falsely framed as a suicide, the report said.
He was close to Khodaei, who was gunned down in Tehran on May 22. Both he and Esmailzadeh were members of the IRGC’s so-called Unit 840, a shadowy division within the IRGC’s expeditionary Quds Force that carries out kidnappings and assassinations outside of Iran, the report said.
After Khodaei’s killing, the terrorist IRGC began hunting for security leaks and became suspicious of Esmailzadeh. He was then thrown from his roof, but the IRGC told his family he died by suicide because he was distraught over his separation from his wife, Iran International said, citing “sources in Iran.”
The Persian-language outlet is identified with Iran’s political opposition. It was launched in 2017, is based in London and reaches millions of Iranians in Iran and around the world. It is reportedly funded by Saudi Arabia, Iran’s regional foe.
Khodaei was shot five times in his car by two unidentified gunmen on motorbikes in the middle of Tehran. He reportedly was involved in killings and abductions outside of Iran, including attempts to target Israelis.
Iranian authorities have yet to pin down the suspects in Khodaei’s killing, even though the incident took place in the heart of one of the most secure areas in Tehran — Mohahedin-e Eslam Street, home to other senior officials in the IRGC and its elite Quds Force.
The head of the IRGC blamed “the Zionists” for the assassination and vowed revenge.