How Iran’s top nuclear scientist was killed with remote-controlled machine gun

Iranian media says Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was shot by weapon mounted on car that then exploded

A billboard in honour of slain nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in Tehran
A billboard in honour of slain nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in Tehran
(Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)

A remote-controlled machine gun was used to kill Iran’s leading nuclear scientist in an assassination that Tehran has blamed on Israel, according to latest reports.

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh - dubbed the “father” of Iran’s bomb programme - was travelling with his wife in a bullet-proof car, accompanied by a convoy of armoured vehicles, when they came under gunfire on Friday in the city of Absard, 50 miles east of the capital.

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Kari Wilkin is The Week Digital’s global managing editor. She joined the UK site as production editor in 2017, after moving across from The Week magazine. Her career as a journalist began as a sub-editor at newspapers including The Sun, Metro, the Daily Star and News of the World, followed by stints at Elle and Asda Magazine. She also helped to launch the UK edition of Women’s Health magazine, as chief sub-editor with a sideline in writing; has penned travel and lifestyle articles for titles including The Telegraph and The Sun; and is a contributor on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast.