Iran Defector to Iraq Killed by 2 in Geneva

A former Iranian army pilot, who defected to Iraq in his military jet and later moved to Switzerland, was killed by two assailants on a busy street in Geneva, police said.

Police said they were seeking two men “from a Persian Gulf country” who fled after firing two pistol shots at close range at the Iranian’s head on Monday night.

The 36-year-old victim, whose name was not published, died at the scene shortly after the 9 p.m. attack.

Geneva police alerted the Swiss federal prosecutor’s office in Bern, which handles investigations into security matters and suspected terrorist or politically motivated crimes.

A police spokesman, asked about the description of the assailants, said the first indications were that they could be from the Persian Gulf.

Last February, the victim sought political asylum in Switzerland after deserting from the Iranian armed forces. His wife left Iran several months later with the couple’s two children, police said.

On Monday, the former pilot was walking with his wife near his home in Geneva’s Paquis night life district. One assailant pushed the woman away while the other fired, police said. The family was placed under police protection after the shooting.