TEHRAN: An Iranian forest ranger whose death sentence for murder had been suspended was gunned down on Saturday by a relative of the man he allegedly killed, official sources said.

Boroumand Najafi was sentenced to death earlier this year after killing a man he thought was a poacher in 2020 in western Iran’s Kermanshah region.

In April, the judiciary suspended his death sentence and ordered a re-trial after an appeal by the defence.

“Today Boroumand Najafi was killed outside the court by three Kalashnikov bullets fired by the victim’s father” following a hearing, Kermanshah prosecutor Shahram Karami said on state television on Saturday.

“Shortly before that, a relative of the victim attacked a prison guard accompanying Najafi with an axe, wounding him in the hand.”