Mathematician Who Warned of Regime Infiltration of Canadian University Engineering Program Missing in Suspicious Disappearance

IHIT distributed this photo of the missing man, Masood Masjoody, 45. Anyone with information is asked to call IHIT at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or email ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

VANCOUVER – An outspoken Iranian dissident who publicly warned Canadian authorities in 2021 about alleged Iranian regime infiltration of engineering programs at Simon Fraser University has disappeared under suspicious circumstances, prompting an investigation by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.

Masood Masjoody, 45, was last seen on February 2 when concerned neighbors reported his disappearance to Burnaby RCMP. Investigators have determined the disappearance is “out of character” and believe criminality is involved, though they say there are no indications it is linked to gangs or extortion.

The case has raised concerns within the Iranian-Canadian diaspora about potential transnational repression, given Masjoody’s vocal opposition to the Iranian regime and his documented attempts to alert Canadian officials to what he characterized as regime activities on Canadian soil.

Masjoody, who obtained his doctorate in mathematics from SFU in 2019 and worked as a sessional instructor until 2020, sent an open letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in April 2021 detailing what he described as “alarming infiltration in Canadian public bodies of the Islamist regime in Iran.”

In the letter, Masjoody claimed to have reported to SFU’s president in April 2019 about individuals he alleged had connections to Iranian regime programs and were involved in sensitive engineering and technology fields. Citing broader warnings from then-CSIS Director David Vigneault, Masjoody raised concerns about potential technology transfer and the use of Canadian university resources in ways he believed could benefit hostile state networks.

“There is no question that the most significant security threats from foreign states come out of Communist China, Putin’s Russia, and the Islamist regime in Iran,” Masjoody’s letter said.