Mob gunman admits trying to kill Iranian journalist
A self-professed member of a Russian organised crime group has admitted trying to kill an Iranian-American female journalist and activist, as he testified at a US trial of two associates.
Khalid Mehdiyev, 27, told jurors he was arrested in July 2022 in his car in Brooklyn, New York City, while in possession of an AK-47 rifle and a ski mask.
"I was there to try to kill the journalist," Mehdiyev said in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday.
Prosecutors say Mehdiyev was hired by the associates Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov to kill Masih Alinejad, a New York-based journalist who left Iran in 2009 and is known for outspoken criticism of the government in Tehran and its treatment of women.
Amirov, 45, and Omarov, 40, have pleaded not guilty to murder for hire and attempted murder in aid of racketeering.
They could face decades in prison if convicted.
In his opening statement on Tuesday, federal prosecutor Jacob Gutwillig said Iran's government offered to pay Amirov and Omarov $US500,000 to orchestrate Alinejad's murder.
"The defendants were hired guns for the government of Iran," Gutwillig said.
"Masih Alinejad was almost gunned down on the streets of New York City by a hit man sent by the defendants."
Amirov's lawyer, Michael Martin, countered that prosecutors were relying on circumstantial evidence and "the testimony of a murderer and a liar".
Michael Perkins, a lawyer for Omarov, said the evidence would not show his client intended to kill Alinejad.
A representative for Iran's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On the stand, Mehdiyev testified that he directed murders, kidnappings and extortion plots during a life of crime that began a decade ago in his native Azerbaijan.
He also said he knew the target of the murder plot underlying the case against Amirov and Omarov as "Masih".
Mehdiyev said he was co-operating with prosecutors after pleading guilty to attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm, and faces a minimum of 15 years in prison for the attempt on Alinejad's life and separate racketeering charges.
Tehran has called separate allegations that four Iranian intelligence officers sought to kidnap Alinejad in 2021 "baseless".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Judge says Columbia University activist facing deportation should be freed
Supporters of Mahmoud Khalil rally outside the federal courthouse in Newark on March 28, 2025. (Reena Rose Sibayan for New Jersey Monitor) A federal judge ruled Wednesday that a Columbia University activist detained for partaking in pro-Palestinian protests cannot be held by the federal government over allegations that his presence in the United States undermines the nation's foreign policy interests. U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz issued the order Wednesday but gave federal prosecutors until Friday at 9:30 a.m. to ask the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals to step in. It's unclear if the activist, Mahmoud Khalil, will be released Friday if the government does indeed appeal. 'This is the news we've been waiting over three months for. Mahmoud must be released immediately and safely returned home to New York to be with me and our newborn baby, Deen,' Noor Abdalla, Khalil's wife, said in a statement from the American Civil Liberties Union of New York. 'True justice would mean Mahmoud was never taken away from us in the first place, that no Palestinian father, from New York to Gaza, would have to endure the painful separation of prison walls like Mahmoud has.' If it stands, Farbiarz's ruling, which comes on the heels of a previous decision that said the government's push to deport Khalil was likely unconstitutional, could deal a blow to the Trump administration's efforts to deport dissidents. Khalil was arrested by immigration authorities in March and has been held in Louisiana since. He's fighting two cases to fend off his deportation — one in Louisiana and one in New Jersey, because he was being transferred through Elizabeth Detention Center when his attorneys first filed a petition for his release. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed Khalil supports terrorist group Hamas and called his presence in the country a national security risk. Rubio has cited a rarely used provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 to justify Khalil's deportation. Farbiarz noted in his Wednesday ruling that the government could argue that Khalil would have been detained anyway because he inaccurately filled out his lawful permanent resident application, which can be a basis for removal under very rare circumstances. But that argument won't work, he said. 'Lawful permanent residents are virtually never detained pending removal for the sort of alleged omission' Khalil is accused of, the judge wrote in the 14-page filing. Khalil, whose wife and newborn son are American citizens, has not been charged with any crime. He was among the first university students who were picked up by immigration authorities targeting pro-Palestine activists. Some students who were detained under similar circumstances have been released but still face deportation. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hegseth defends $961.6B Defense Department budget request
June 11 (UPI) -- The proposed Department of Defense budget puts "America first" while addressing Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday. Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine fielded questions during a more than 2-hour hearing regarding the proposed $961.6 billion DOD budget for the 2026 fiscal year. The Defense Department is improving pay, housing, healthcare and other services to improve the quality of life for military members and their families, Hegseth told committee members. "This budget puts America first and gives our warriors what they need," he said during his opening statement. The proposed budget request also would "end four years of chronic underinvestment in our military by the Biden administration," Hegseth added. Russia and the Ukraine war Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., opened the hearing with questions about the Ukraine War, including who is the aggressor and preferred outcomes. Hegseth said Russia is the aggressor and China would prefer to keep the conflict going as long as possible to distract from its moves in the Indo-Pacific region. Europe needs to do more to defend its territory against Russian aggression, Hegseth said, and the United States must remain strategic in its handling of the war while addressing matters in the Indo-Pacific region. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., cited ongoing Russian aggression against civilian targets in Ukraine as evidence that Russia has no intention of ending the war there. The 2026 budget request eliminates aid to Ukraine, while senators are working to impose more sanctions on Russia, Coons said. "What message do you think it sends" when Russia "attacks civilian centers in Ukraine and the United States does not send additional air defense and interceptors to Ukraine?" Coons asked. Hegseth said arms are still flowing to Ukraine, but other NATO allies are not doing enough to end the war. "You're not a real coalition, you're not a real defense alliance, unless you have real defense capability and real armies that can bring those to bear," Hegseth said. "That's a reality that Europe is waking up to quickly," he added, "and we're glad." Coons said the United States should not negotiate a cease-fire in Ukraine "at any cost" and instead should continue supporting Ukraine to achieve an enduring peace. "Putin will only stop when we stop him," Coons said. "The best way to stop him is through a stronger NATO." Chinese military threats and Hegseth's DOD leadership Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said China has more than 400 warships and is rapidly expanding its fleet versus 293 ships for the United States. She asked why the Defense Department only seeks funding to build two submarines and an ocean surveillance ship, plus some destroyers. Hegseth said the 2026 budget request reflects a 13% increase for investing in national defense over the current fiscal year. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., then questioned Hegseth's leadership. "I am repeatedly hearing that your policy and personnel changes at the Pentagon are only undermining [and] not strengthening our military's preparedness to protect our country," Murray said. She accused Hegseth of using the military to police areas in the United States, including sending the National Guard and Marines to California to use against "peaceful protesters." Murray then asked Hegseth if the Defense Department would continue to fire shipbuilders, which he denied it has done. "We are investing historically in our shipbuilding defense industrial base and workforce and ships in this budget," Hegseth said. Murray said the Navy is firing shipbuilder staff in the state of Washington and accused it of asking welders if they ever donated to the Democratic Party. Hegseth said no welders are subject to litmus tests to work on naval projects and denied that political questions are asked. Iranian, Russian, Chinese and North Korean coalition Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asked Hegseth and Caine if the world is underestimating Iran's intent to "kill all the Jews," including using a nuclear weapon against Israel if Iran had one. Caine said Iran would use one to pressure Israel but doesn't know if Iran would use it to "wipe out Israel." Hegseth said a radical cleric in Iran would use one to wipe out Israel. "They're going to use a nuclear weapon if they get it," Graham said. He also asked if China intends to "take Taiwan by force if necessary." Hegseth said the DOD doesn't know that China has made the decision to do so. Caine suggested China might use military force against Taiwan, and the United States needs to prepare for it. Coons said China, Russia, North Korea and Iran are aligned and pose the greatest threat to world peace since the Cold War. He cited Ukraine as an example of the future of warfare, but said the Department of Defense is "internally divided" and operating on a continuing resolution for the first time. The current state within the Defense Department "cannot continue," Coons added. Next-generation fighter and collaborative drones are planned The Defense Department also wants to spend $4 billion during the 2026 fiscal year to develop the F-47 fighter and "collaborative combat" drone aircraft, according to DefenseScoop. The $4 billion request is just part of the 2026 budget request, but the amount of the entire proposed budget has not been released. The Air Force wants to spend $3.5 billion on the F-47 fighter project, which would give it a fighter capable of exceeding Mach 2 with a range of more than 1,000 nautical miles. The current F-22 and F-35A fighter jets have top speeds of greater than Mach 2 and Mach 1.6 and ranges of 590 and 670 nautical miles, respectively. The Air Force wants to buy up to 185 F-47 fighters during the program's duration. The Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program would promote the development of next-generation drone aircraft that are capable of flying with the manned F-47 and other next-generation fighters.
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pulse shooting survivors, family members tour building before demolition
Survivors and family members of the victims of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting are touring the inside of the building for a final look before it's torn down. About 250 people accepted the city of Orlando's invitation to tour the building where Omar Mateen, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, killed 49 people and wounded 53 others during a Latin Night celebration at the popular LGBTQIA+ club on June 12, 2016. Mateen was killed following an hourslong standoff with police. At the time, it was the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. The shooting at the Route 91 Harvest music festival in Las Vegas would eclipse the Pulse shooting's death toll the following year. The visits, which coincide with the shooting's nine-year mark, are being done in small groups over the course of four days, with survivors and family members spending about a half hour inside, according to The Associated Press. Christine Leionen lost her only child, 32-year-old Christopher, in the shooting. Wednesday marked the first time she saw where her son was killed. "My son died on that dance floor. He was shot nine times, and he bled to death on that dance floor," she told CBS News. She said going to Pulse was "a way to try to experience his last seconds of life. I just want to feel closer to him." Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who also visited the site, said the visit "took me back nine years." "Reflecting on being in the command center on Orange Avenue as all the things are transpiring and, eventually, the shooting of the killer and then the realization of just how many people were impacted," he said, according to CBS affiliate WKMG-TV. Dyer said the people visiting included 25 of the 49 victims' families. The city of Orlando is planning to build a permanent memorial where the building currently stands. City officials approved a plan to buy the property for $2 million back in 2023, following several previous failed attempts to buy the land. Family members and some survivors had been pushing for a permanent memorial for years before the purchase. But some of the families and survivors still have questions about whether more could have been done to prevent the shooting or if police could have done more to save people. Questions also surround the ensuing investigation and the issue of whether the attack was a hate crime. "I lived that night, but it's a constant sacrifice to keep moving every day," survivor Maritza Gomez told WKMG back when the city approved the plan to buy the property. "I don't think that Pulse should be diminished. I think that an investigation should be taken care of first." An accused woman skips her pedicure, kills her ex-husband Watch California Gov. Gavin Newsom's full speech on federal response to Los Angeles protests LAPD chief speaks out about deployment of military forces to anti-ICE protests
