Canada’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) announced that the disappearance of Massoud Masjoudi, a 45-year-old Iranian-Canadian political activist residing in Burnaby, British Columbia, was not a random incident and that evidence indicates the case was targeted in nature.
Masjoudi was last seen on February 2. Following concerns raised by his neighbors, the matter was reported to the police.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed that the presence of police units on Wednesday evening at a property located on Manchester Street in Burnaby was directly related to this case.
Fredaa Fong, an official with the IHIT team, stated: “We believe this incident was targeted and did not occur randomly. The investigation has progressed, and we are in the process of identifying those involved and determining their exact roles.”
Police emphasized that, so far, no connection has been found between this disappearance and organized crime activity or extortion cases in the region.
Massoud Masjoudi has a history of political activism opposing the Islamic Republic. In recent months, he had reportedly been specifically involved in investigating and documenting threats and harassment directed at independent Iranian political activists by supporters of the Pahlavi monarchist movement, and he had filed a private legal complaint against Reza Pahlavi.
