A mysterious remote-control bomb killed a nuclear scientist in Iran Tuesday, and Iran said Israel may be responsible. The government confirmed that the victim, “Massoud Ali Mohammadi was a lecturer in nuclear energy and [that] no suspects have yet been arrested." Another news agency in the country said he was “a senior nuclear scientist."
It is not known if he was directly involved in developing Iran's nuclear facilties, but government media stated that he was a "staunch supporter" of the Islamic revolution in 1979.
A booby-trapped motorcycle exploded near his home, and the official Iranian news agency said it was not known how many people were killed in the blast, indicating that he may not have been the only victim.
The explosion follows months of protests that were met by violent riot police squads, resulting in dozens of killings and reports of hundreds of people who “disappeared.” Demonstrators have charged that last June’s results in the re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were rigged.