2 charged in killing of former SFU instructor who was outspoken Iran critic

From Feb. 5: Homicide investigators are looking into the suspicious disappearance of a former SFU instructor who hasn't been seen since Monday.

First-degree murder charges have been laid against two people in connection to the death of Masood Masjoody, a former SFU instructor and outspoken critic of the Iranian regime.

The charges were laid against 48-year-old Maple Ridge man Mehdi Ahmadzadeh Razavi and 45-year-old North Vancouver woman Arezou Soltani on Saturday morning.

The pair is accused of killing Masjoody, 45, who was reported missing on Feb. 2.

Burnaby RCMP launched an investigation after “receiving reports from concerned neighbours,” and soon determined that Masjoody’s disappearance was out of character and involved criminality, according to a news release from the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team Saturday.

IHIT took over the investigation, working with Burnaby RCMP and Integrated Forensic Identification Services.

Investigators eventually located Masjoody’s remains in Mission on March 6 with the help of Mission RCMP, Integrated Police Dog Services, the Integrated Emergency Response Team, IFIS and Mission Search and Rescue.

Asked for more information, IHIT spokesperson Sgt. Freda Fong told CTV News she could not share where in Mission the remains were found, nor whether any further charges—such as indignity to remains—could be forthcoming.

“At this time, first-degree murder charges have been laid,” Fong said. “It doesn’t mean the investigation stops here. A fulsome investigation into how the individuals were known to Mr. Masjoody, as far as their background, is ongoing.”

She said the offence date listed on the charges is Feb. 2. Razavi and Soltani were arrested on Friday.

“We understand this case has impacted the Iranian community and has generated widespread concern and public interest,” Fong said in the release.

“While the motive is still under investigation, we can say the victim and two accused were known to each other.”

In a social media post shortly after Masjoody’s disappearance, Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay, a prominent figure in the Iranian-Canadian community, said Masjoody had been “under threat for months” after trying to expose Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps affiliates in Canada.

“While I do not know him personally, he has publicly stood up against those who attempted to carry out character assassination and defame me online,” said Afshin-Jam MacKay, who is also the wife of former federal attorney general Peter MacKay.

IHIT has previously described Masjoody as “known for his online presence.” He was also “a mathematician who previously worked in academia,” according to investigators.

Last year, Masjoody was declared a vexatious litigant by the B.C. Court of Appeal after he unsuccessfully tried to sue the Burnaby Beacon, a since-shuttered online news publication.

“Masjoody has habitually, persistently, and without reasonable cause commenced or continued vexatious proceedings in the courts of British Columbia,” the May 23, 2025 decision reads, citing seven civil suits and eight appeals he had filed.

“This pattern of litigation has wasted valuable judicial resources and imposed unnecessary costs on opposing parties.”

B.C. court records show Masjoody filed several lawsuits in recent years, including actions that named the two people now accused of his murder.

He also filed lawsuits accusing academics, legal figures and journalists of defamation, including one such suit against Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of Iran.

Pahlavi filed an affidavit B.C. Supreme Court last November, after learning that Masjoody had won a default judgment against him in a defamation action.

Pahlavi’s affidavit said he resides in Maryland and his address is “confidential for security reasons,” and claims he didn’t know about the lawsuit filed against him in B.C. until after the default judgment was granted.

Pahlavi said he didn’t know Masjoody, and had no affiliation with online accounts or any other defendants as alleged in the lawsuit.

“I have never published anything about the plaintiff Masood Masjoody as alleged,” Pahlavi’s affidavit said. “I specifically deny each and every allegation of misconduct made about me.”

Pahlavi’s affidavit said he has no involvement in any “publication of defamatory or harassing content” that Masjoody alleged was targeted towards him.

In IHIT’s statement Saturday, Fong said investigators were pleased to have reached the charge approval stage.

“The laying of first-degree murder charges marks a significant milestone and reflects the hard work undertaken over the past several weeks,” she said. ”However, much work remains as the prosecution process begins.”

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Andrew Weichel and The Canadian Press