Badrei was assassinated on February 11, 1979, at the Sultanabad barracks, which was the army headquarters in Capital. He was leading the troops of the Imperial Ground Forces loyal to the Shah, which were fighting against armed civilians who were supporters of Ayatollah Khomeini when he was murdered. Scheherezade Faramarzi argued in 2019 that the murderer of Badrei was a teenager who was not aware of his identity. Upon his assassination, the Imperial army was easily disintegrated by the Islamic government.