Mahmoud Najafi

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Mahmoud Najafi was a physical education teacher in Iran’s public school system and a football coach for students in Lamerd.

On the day of the attack, a special class for children between the ages of four and eight was being held, while a group of teenagers were organizing teams to begin practice and play when a missile struck the residential area of the sports complex. Mahmoud Najafi immediately tried to guide the children to safety and save their lives.

He rushed to the girls’ hall, banged on the door, and shouted for them to leave the building as quickly as possible. The young volleyball players, led by their coach, moved toward the exit. It was at that moment that the first missile hit the hall, and as the girls were trying to escape, a second missile struck the sports complex.

Rather than seeking shelter himself, the football coach focused on leading as many of the children as possible out of the complex. He was struck in the side and chest by three pieces of missile shrapnel. According to the Iranian state news agency IRNA, he still had enough time to call emergency services; the last recorded activity on his phone shows an unsuccessful 57-second call to 115, Iran’s emergency number.

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