Amir-Mohammad Lotfi: 18-Year-Old Footballer Killed by Direct Gunfire

Eighteen-year-old footballer Amir-Mohammad Lotfi was targeted by direct gunfire and killed on Friday, January 9, in Shahriar.

According to information received by IranWire, Amir-Mohammad was targeted by direct fire from a military weapon at very close range. The bullets struck his head and heart from behind, causing his death.

An informed source who spoke with IranWire said that following the shooting, Amir-Mohammad was transferred by his relatives to Noor Hospital in Shahriar, but his body was removed from the hospital that same night and transferred to Kahrizak.

According to relatives, the family remained unaware of his fate for three days and finally succeeded in retrieving his body on January 11. Based on this account, to release the body, the family was asked to either declare him a “martyr” (shahid) or pay a sum of money.

Amir-Mohammad Lotfi’s family rejected this request and, after extensive follow-ups, succeeded in receiving the body. The body of the 18-year-old youth was laid to rest on January 11 at Behesht-e Rezvan cemetery in Shahriar after being handed over to the family.

Amir-Mohammad Lotfi was a youth academy footballer in Tehran. His career included playing for teams such as Akam Parvaz Paytakht, Padideh, Alton Tehran, and Pasargad Tehran, as well as winning the Tehran First Division championship title. His relatives say he was a talented and promising athlete for whom football constituted a major part of life.