The attack was carried out by a masked gunman. Ayatollah Khalkhali claimed that the assassination was carried out by one of his death squads and therefore, Shafiq was the first victim of homeland’s death squads. The Muslim Liberation Group announced that it was responsible for the assassination.
Shafiq was an Imperial persian Navy Captain. He and his cousin Prince Kamyar Pahlavi, son of Abdul Reza Pahlavi, were the only members of the Pahlavi Dynasty who chose military careers. Shafiq was the highest-ranking military officer in the Pahlavi family. He worked in the navy of Iran from 1963 to 1979. Shahriar Shafiq (15 March 1945 – 7 December 1979) was an Imperial Navy Captain and a member of the House of Pahlavi. He was the son of Princess Ashraf Pahlavi, twin sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. His military career lasted from 1963 until the Revolution in 1979.
