A senior member of an Iranian terrorist organization was among the four men charged in the plot to kill an Iranian-American writer and activist in the United States.
Ruhollah Bazghandi, who lives in Iran and is currently not in custody, was charged with the attempted assassination of Masih Alinejad.
A prolific journalist and activist who has criticized the Iranian government, Alinejad has faced multiple attempts on her life since defecting from the Islamic Republic in 2009.
Alinejad lives in New York City, but moves back and forth between safe houses frequently.
The rewritten indictment on Tuesday did not name the journalist, but she confirmed to The Associated Press that she was the target mentioned in court documents.
Bazghandi is a brigadier general in the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada, Israel and other countries.
According to the Associated Press, he once served as the group's counterintelligence chief.
The latest indictment also indicts Bazgandhi along with three other people.
Five other people were previously indicted in connection with the conspiracy, and three of them are in custody.
In a jubilant video posted to X, hinting at recent “meetings” with the FBI and Justice Department, Alinejad, sporting flowers in her distinctive mane, says: “I love my life! '' he happily announced.
She also directly attacked Iran's Supreme Leader Imam Sayyid Ali Khamenei, saying, “Every time you and your Revolutionary Guards are humiliated, it is a victory for us. “Even though I moved 21 houses, I am stronger than ever,'' she wrote defiantly.
As a prominent critic of the rogue state's governance and leadership, Alinejad has overseen numerous assassination attempts by the regime's killers.
The Justice Department also indicted three Iranian-backed Azerbaijani gangsters in early 2023 for plotting to kill Alinejad the previous year.
The case stems from the arrest in July of that year of Khalid Mehdiyev, who was arrested with an assault rifle near Alinejad's Brooklyn home, rang her doorbell and ambushed her on her balcony. The situation was being filmed.
The two men charged in the conspiracy include Rafat “Roma” Amirov, a 43-year-old resident of Iran, who was arrested in New York on January 26, 2023, and Polad “Hashi, a 38-year-old resident of Iran, who was arrested in New York on January 26, 2023.・Includes “Kaka” Omarov. in the Czech Republic on January 4 of the same year.
Amilov is said to be the leader of an Eastern European criminal organization whose members are identified by an eight-pointed star tattoo.
Mr. Omarov and Mr. Mehdiyev are also said to be members of this group.
“What I'm saying is that the Iranian regime thinks that by trying to kill me, it will silence me and it will silence other women,” she told The Associated Press after the men's arrests were announced. told.
“But they only make me stronger, make me more powerful to fight for democracy, and give a voice to the brave women who are facing guns and bullets in the streets to eliminate the Islamic Republic.” is.”
with post wire
