VANCOUVER — An Iranian dissident found dead in British Columbia this month had accused the two people now charged with murdering him of being aligned with Iran’s government and trying to obtain poison to kill him in November.
In an affidavit obtained by The Canadian Press, Masood Masjoody said he was warned by a member of a group that involved suspects Arezou Soltani and Mehdi Ahmadzadeh Razavi that they “sought a substance with which to murder me.”
RCMP Sgt. Freda Fong said over the weekend that investigators believe the killing of Masjoody, whose cause of death has not been announced, was “targeted,” and that the Burnaby man had “ongoing disputes” with the suspects.
In B.C. Supreme Court civil filings, Masjoody had accused Soltani of “alignment” with the Iranian regime, while other legal documents refer to his accusations that Razavi had “loyalty” to Iran’s intelligence services.
The claims were denied by both suspects and have not been tested in court.
Soltani and Razavi made a brief appearance by video in B.C. provincial court on Monday, where they only spoke to confirm their identities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2026.
The Canadian Press
