Bob Mackin
Where is Masood Masjoody and is his disappearance related to opposition to the Iranian government, lawsuits that he filed or something else?
Homicide and forensics detectives and the Burnaby RCMP are searching for the 45-year-old missing man.
Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) public information officer Sgt. Freda Fong issued a statement on Feb. 5 that acknowledged Masjoody’s online presence and work as a mathematician, but did not mention his activism against the regime in Tehran.
Masood Masjoody (IHIT)
“A person’s background, lifestyle and affiliations form a part of every IHIT investigation. As with all cases, it will be taken into consideration when identifying a motive,” Fong said.
Fong said investigators are updating Masjoody’s family about search efforts.
Fong said anyone with information about Masjoody’s disappearance can contact IHIT 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
No fan of either the Ayatollah or the Shah
Masjoody’s disappearance, which is believed to be criminal, coincides with an uprising in Iran against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Thousands have been killed in the Iranian government’s crackdown, sparking mass-protests around the world, including in Vancouver. Donald Trump has threatened to take military action. Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last Shah of Iran, is campaigning to return from exile.
Pahlavi happens to be one of the defendants in a civil action that Masjoody filed in B.C. Supreme Court. It also names X, formerly Twitter.
The most-recent activity on Masjoody’s account was a repost on the afternoon of Feb. 2.
During a 2023 hunger strike, he posted this message on his website: “I am determined to stand and fight until the end for the aspirations of millions of freedom-loving Iranians whether exiled — like myself — or imprisoned in the homeland under the rule of the Islamic regime.”
Many court battles
Masjoody obtained a doctorate in mathematics from Simon Fraser University in 2019 and worked as a sessional instructor from 2018 to 2020 in the Department of Mathematics, until he was fired.
Masjoody sued a former colleague and SFU, which he accused of harbouring spies from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In May 2025, a B.C. Court of Appeal judge said Masjoody had wasted court resources in suing the Burnaby Beacon newsletter and reporter Dustin Godfrey, after the outlet reported on the SFU lawsuit.
“Newspaper reports on judicial decisions are a matter of public interest protected by the Charter,” the judge ruled in 2024.
Justice Bruce Butler also called Masjoody’s seven civil actions and eight appeals “a pattern of pursuing meritless claims which have already been adjudicated, particularly claims involving unfounded allegations of bias and conspiracy against judges, lawyers and the registrar.”
Butler issued an order prohibiting Masjoody from starting or continuing appeals “to prevent further abuse of the court process.”
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