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Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general and six other Iranians for their alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate a New York-based Iranian journalist and vocal critic of the Iranian government.
What’s the deal: In an announcement, the US government alleged that Ruhollah Bazghandi, a brigadier general in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), along with six other Iranian operatives, orchestrated a plot to assassinate Masih Alinejad, a US citizen and outspoken critic of the Iranian regime. Federal prosecutors claim the operatives conducted surveillance on Alinejad’s residence and attempted to carry out the murder in July 2022, a plot disrupted by the arrest of operative Khalid Mehdiyev near her home. The charges against the group include murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and money laundering, with the US asserting that the scheme is part of Iran’s ongoing efforts to silence dissidents abroad, including those on American soil.
Others charged: Alongside Bazghandi and Mehdiyev, five other individuals have been charged for their roles in the assassination plot against Masih Alinejad. These include Iranian operatives Hossein Sedighi, Seyed Mohammad Forouzan, and an individual known as Haj Taher, who are all based in Iran. According to prosecutors, they collaborated with Eastern European criminals, including Rafat Amirov, Polad Omarov, and Zialat Mamedov, who were contracted to carry out the murder-for-hire. These operatives provided logistical support, such as gathering intelligence on Alinejad’s whereabouts, coordinating efforts to track her movements, and forwarding targeting information.
Attorney General reacts: In a statement, Attorney General Merrick Garland said, “The Justice Department has now charged eight individuals, including an Iranian military official, for their efforts to silence and kill a US citizen because of her criticism of the Iranian regime. We will not tolerate efforts by an authoritarian regime like Iran to undermine the fundamental rights guaranteed to every American. Three of the defendants charged in this horrific plot are now in US custody, and we will never stop working to identify, find, and bring to justice all those who endanger the safety of the American people.”
FBI Director reacts: In a statement, FBI Director Christopher Wray said, “Today’s indictment exposes the full extent of Iran’s plot to silence an American journalist for criticizing the Iranian regime. According to the charges, a brigadier general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a former Iranian intelligence officer, working with a network of conspirators, planned to kill a dissident living in New York City. The FBI’s investigation led to the disruption of this plot as one of the conspirators was allegedly on their way to murder the victim in New York. As these charges show, the FBI will work with our partners here and abroad to hold accountable those who target Americans.”
