Iranian authorities say they have arrested the “prime suspect” in the suspected murder of the renowned artist couple, Dariush Mehrjui and Vahideh Mohammadi-Far, who were found stabbed to death in their residence outside the capital, Tehran.
The official IRNA news agency on October 19 cited a police spokesperson as saying that after "meticulous technical investigations and data cross-referencing, the main assailant, already in police custody, has been conclusively identified."
The spokesperson added that investigations are ongoing to uncover potential accomplices in the case.
The pair were stabbed to death over the weekend at their home about 30 kilometers west of Tehran. Mehrjui, 83, was known as a co-founder of Iranian cinemas's new wave in the early 1970s.
Some activists and opposition figures in Iran have drawn parallels between the killings and similar crimes in the past that were ultimately deemed political murders.
The apprehension of the suspect comes a day after an emotional funeral ceremony for the couple, which saw a significant gathering of the film and arts community, as well as the general public.
During the ceremony, some attendees voiced their dissent through protest slogans such as "Women, life, freedom,” highlighting the grief and defiance running through the crowd.
The deaths of Mehrjui and Mohammadi-Far have evoked memories of past political murders in Iran, especially the killing of activists Dariush Foruhar and Parvaneh Eskandari Foruhar in 1998. Both were ardent critics of Iran's religious leadership and faced consistent surveillance.
