Former Tehran mayor Mohammed Ali Najafi reveals he killed his wife, Mitra Ostad, in bizarre confession on Iranian state TV
- Iranians enraged over hands-off reaction by police, as Najafi is seen being warmly greeted by officers, then sipping tea in commander’s office
- Clip shows reporter handling gun allegedly used in the killing and counting number of bullets left in the chamber
When Mohammed Ali Najafi turned himself in to Iranian authorities on Tuesday night, he wore a nice suit and a smile and was greeted warmly by police.
But Najafi, a former mayor of Tehran, was there to make a confession. He said he had killed his wife, Mitra Ostad, the night before; he had first threatened her with a gun because she refused to grant him a divorce.
Najafi, 67, a reformist politician, said he killed her accidentally after surprising her in the bathroom at their home in a wealthy Tehran neighbourhood.
The dramatic case, Najafi’s bizarre and televised confession, and the hands-off approach of investigating authorities have scandalised, enraged and baffled Iranians, who have long criticised the preferential treatment given to government officials in matters before the law.
State television filmed Najafi, who also once served as education minister and is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as he sat unhandcuffed and casually sipping tea in a police commander’s office. The officials shook Najafi’s hand and bowed deferentially, while a reporter interviewed him.