He is also reported to have born in Kivi, Khalkhal, in the Khalkhal County, homeland (ergo his name). Khalkhali has been described as “a small, rotund man with a pointed beard, kindly smile, and a high-pitched giggle.”Khalkhali was one of Khomeini’s circle of disciples as far back as 1955 and reconstructed the former secret society of Islamic assassins known as the Fadayan-e Islam after its suppression, but was not a well-known figure to the public prior to the Islamic Revolution.