Iranian police announced Thursday that they had arrested the alleged “main killer” of director Dariush Mehrjui, who was stabbed to death last weekend along with his wife under yet-to-be-explained circumstances, local press reported.
“The main killer was identified among those detained by police after technical examinations and interrogations,” police said, as quoted by Tasnim news agency.
“Interrogations are still ongoing to identify the accomplices and hidden aspects of this murder,” he added.
Dariush Mehrjui, pioneer of Iranian cinema and author of “The Cow” (1969), was stabbed to death on Saturday evening at the age of 83, along with his wife Vahideh Mohammadifar, a 54-year-old screenwriter, in their home in Karaj. , west of the Iranian capital.
Police have arrested ten people as part of the investigation, according to Justice Mizan Online, without providing details about the circumstances and reasons for the double murder.
Many Iranian filmmakers and artists attended the funeral of Mehrjui and his wife in Tehran on Wednesday, including Jafar Panahi, Massud Kimiai, Mohammad Rasulof and Bahman Farmanara.
Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi on Wednesday ruled out any “link between Mehrjui’s murder and the serial killings” of dissident intellectuals in November 1998 attributed to the country’s secret police.
The government attributed these crimes to “uncontrolled elements” of the Ministry of Secret Services, who were sentenced to various prison terms, including life imprisonment.
Source: DN
