Two men convicted in Iranian plot to kill U.S.-based critic
Two men have been convicted of murder-for-hire as part of an Iranian government plot to silence a critic in the United States, federal prosecutors said Friday.
Their target was Masih Alinejad, a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Alinejad is a journalist affiliated with Voice of America, a U.S.-government funded news outlet whose director has described it as promoting freedom and democracy worldwide by providing objective information.
Rafat Amirov, 46; and Polad Omarov, 40, were convicted by a federal grand jury in New York City of five counts on Thursday, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.
The indictment includes charges of murder-for-hire; conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire; conspiracy to commit money laundering; attempted murder in aid of racketeering; and carrying a gun for an attempted murder, the office said.
Alinejad, who has been critical of Iran's treatment of women and of its record on human rights, responded to Thursday's verdict in a statement:"For the first time, the regime of the Islamic Republic is being held accountable for bringing its campaign of terror to U.S. soil."
She added, "They failed. I am still here."
Attorneys for Amirov did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. Omarov's lawyer, Elena Fast, said by email, "We respect the jury's verdict, but plan on filing an appeal on Mr. Omarov's behalf."
Federal prosecutors said high-ranking members of the Revolutionary Guard tapped the pair, described in the indictment as superiors in New York City's Russian Mob, to find and kill Alinejad for $500,000.
The assignment, prosecutors said, came [[a year]] after a failed attempt on behalf of the government of Iran to kidnap the journalist in 2021. The defendants subcontracted the latest assignment to another member of their crime group, Khalid Mehdiyev, who lived about 25 miles north of New York City, in Yonkers, prosecutors said.
Mehdiyev, identified in the indictment as "a co-conspirator not named as a defendant herein," testified that he was hired by the defendants to kill Alinejad and earlier pleaded guilty to lesser counts as he cooperated with the prosecution.
The pair sent him $30,000, according to the indictment. Mehdviyev purchased a Norinco AK-47 replica for the job, it said.
On July 28, 2022, after Mehdviyev told his superiors he was ready to pull the trigger, he was arrested in a traffic stop near Alinejad's Brooklyn home, where police said they found the gun, the indictment said. Also found: 66 rounds of ammunition and $1,100 in cash, both in suitcase in the vehicle, it said.
Mehdviyev was under FBI surveillance, according to a 2022 affidavit in support of arresting and charging him for allegedly possessing a firearm without a serial number, a federal crime.
According to the affidavit, agents watched Mehdviyev go up to Alinejad's porch the day before his arrest. In a social media post, Alinejad shared security video showing a man on her porch who she said "attempted to open the front door."
'The defendants participated in a brazen plot to kill an Iranian American dissident in New York who criticized the regime in Iran,' FBI counterintelligence acting director Roman Rozhavsky said in Friday's statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office. 'The FBI will not tolerate Iran's attempts to threaten, silence, or harm American citizens.'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday welcomed the convictions, writing on X: "Yesterday's court decision shows Iran's attempts at lethal plotting against Americans like @AlinejadMasih will be met with swift justice & accountability."
Alinejad came to the U.S. after she was banished from Iran in the wake of her coverage of corrupt politicians and the disputed outcome of its 2009 national election.
After she arrived, she launched a social media campaign encouraging women in the country to post photos of themselves in public sans their government-required hijabs.
Amirov and Omarov face the possibility of life in prison at sentencing, which is scheduled for Sept. 27, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
ordered Voice of America to cut operations to the bare minimum under law.
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NBC News
a day ago
- NBC News
Iranian rapper Tataloo once supported a hard-line presidential candidate. Now he faces execution
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Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Iran's barbaric brutality is spiralling out of control – regime is powder keg with one way out, says resistance fighter
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THERE is "no doubt" Iran would use a nuclear bomb on its enemies, a female activist has revealed. IT researcher Fereshteh, from Tehran, warned the "crisis-stricken regime" is clinging on to power by forcing its people to live in extreme poverty and ramping up executions. 15 People light a fire during a protest over the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested Credit: Reuters 15 A woman shouts in desperation as she protests against the Iranian regime - in front of an NCRI flag Credit: AP 15 Iran's resistance units carry out activities such as destroying symbols of the regime Credit: YouTube/PMOI 15 The regime has been ramping up executions in a bid to control dissent, according to Fereshteh Credit: AFP Speaking to The Sun, Fereshteh, 35, revealed that she joined a resistance unit of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran after the regime tortured and executed her beloved sister. Hundreds of resistance units have been set up all over the country - aimed at undermining the regime's authority. Members organise and lead protests, destroying statues and images of regime leaders and documenting human rights abuses. Fereshteh revealed the situation in Iran is a "powder-keg" and a "ticking time bomb" ready to explode as Iranians grow angrier than ever at repression, corruption and high prices. She says things are worse now than in September 2022 when the death of a Kurdish girl named Mahsa Amini triggered mass protests. Outraged citizens in more than 280 cities in 31 provinces of Iran took to the streets and brought the mullahs' regime to the brink of collapse. Fereshteh said: "There was the massacre of more than 750 innocent people by the State Security Forces, which were in fact street executions. "More than 30,000 arrests involved torture and heavy bails for release, sometimes rape. "And the abandonment of bodies in rivers or unfinished buildings, sometimes poisoning people with tainted juice or toxic serums in prisons, and the intentional failure to care for sick or tortured prisoners that led to their death, and many other crimes, the protests continued for months. "The outraged people had nothing more to lose. "After that, the regime tried hard to impose an atmosphere of repression by increasing executions and creating a suffocating environment." My dad has been sentenced to death in Iran on trumped-up charges and faces imminent execution - we must save him 15 Fareshteh joined a resistance unit to avenge her sister Credit: PMOI/MEK 15 There a resistance units like Fareshteh's all over Iran Credit: YouTube/PMOI 15 Protests in Iran in 2022 where demonstrators changed 'death to the dictator' in response to a building collapse Fareshteh said there was a 34 per cent increase in executions in 2023 - with 860 in one year. In 2024, there were at least 1,000 - and this year, new records are being set month by month. "Now the situation is worse than before," Fareshteh said. "Inflation is crippling, and while people's salaries and incomes have not changed much, the exchange rate has risen. "The Iranian people are almost four times poorer, and prices have increased by the same amount, most people's tables are getting smaller every year, and more are living below the poverty line." Fereshteh said the regime's brutality towards its own people has increased since the Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad was ousted by rebels last December. "This regime has no solution other than increasing executions at home, especially after the fall of the Syrian dictator and the successive blows to its proxy forces in the region," she said. The mullahs' regime tortured and executed my innocent sister, even burying her body themselves, creating lasting trauma for my family that I will never forget or forgive Fareshten, resistance unit member "Ali Khamenei, the regime's Supreme Leader, used to call Syria, its strategic depth, and he repeatedly said that if we don't fight in Syria and Iraq, we will have to face the enemy in Iran's major cities. "Now, the regime sees its only way out in trying harder to build nuclear weapons and acquire a bomb. "In the absence of any solution in the crisis-stricken mullah regime, the situation in Iran is like a powder keg. "And everyone, even the regime's leaders, constantly warn about the explosion of people's outrage from repression, corruption, and high prices. "The difference is that the people of Iran, especially the youth, know that the regime has never been in its current state of weakness." Fareshteh revealed how her activities for her resistance unit include painting political graffiti and encouraging others to stand against the regime. 15 Iranians protests the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by the morality police Credit: AP 15 Mahsa Amini, 22, died from beating by cops Credit: Newsflash She said she joined the unit to avenge her sister's death which she will neither "forget or forgive". Being a member of the resistance in Iran can carry a death sentence, but Fareshteh remains undeterred. She said: "I am the continuer and avenger of my beloved sister, who was the top student in her high school in mathematics and physics. "The mullahs' regime tortured and executed my innocent sister, even burying her body themselves, creating lasting trauma for my family that I will never forget or forgive. "I carry out activities involving posting pictures and doing graffiti, and I speak to and raise awareness among the people about the social responsibility that rests on all of us. "International support is very important. At one time, the regime's lobbies deceived foreign countries by pretending that everything was fine in Iran." 'Murderous regime' She added: "In the 2022 uprising, technology unveiled the countless crimes of the corrupt and murderous regime. "International solidarity will press Western governments to stop appeasing and dealing with this dictatorship." Fareshteh's comments comes after the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) presented shocking details about a covert nuclear weapons facility operated by the regime. Chilling satellite pictures released last month showed a secret nuclear site codenamed "Rainbow". It is believed the base is being used to develop nuclear missiles with a 2,000 mile (3,000km) range. 15 A 'morality police' van was reportedly set on fire in Tehran during protests in 2022 Credit: Newsflash 15 Hundreds took the streets over Mahsa's brutal death Credit: Twitter 15 Aerial pictures show a secret based believed to be developing nuclear weapons Credit: NCRI The NCRI say that Tehran is using oil and chemical facilities as a front to create terrifying nuclear weapons with the ability to strike US bases in the Middle East. Feresteh says the discovery of the base comes as no surprise as the regime's goal has always been to acquire an atomic bomb to "blackmail" the international community. "Repression at home and the export of terrorism and fomenting crisis have been one of the foundations of this regime's survival since its inception," she said. Now, the regime sees its only way out in trying harder to build nuclear weapons and acquire a bomb Fareshteh, resistance unit member "In the past two years, everyone has seen that the main obstacle to peace and security in the region has been the mullah regime. "After the fall of the Assad dictatorship... the only way out it sees is to increase executions at home and increase its activities to acquire an atomic bomb as a lever to continue blackmail the international community. "This regime has not stopped trying to acquire a bomb for even a day. "And the recent revelation... clearly exposes the regime's unreliability and deception in its pursuit of a bomb." Iran's secret nuke site 'Rainbow' Exclusive by Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital) CHILLING satellite pictures reveal Iran's sprawling secret nuclear site codenamed "Rainbow". Sources in the country have uncovered how the base is being used to develop nuclear-capable missiles with a 2,000-mile range - able to strike US bases in the Middle East. Tehran's tyrannical regime is using oil and chemical facilities as a cover for nuclear bases, bombshell docs shared with The Sun by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reveal. Haunting aerial images expose a network of clandestine sites - including "Rainbow" - used by iron-fist leaders to create terrifying nuclear weapons. A powerful nuclear blast from Iran could have disastrous consequences for the Middle East - and beyond - thanks to the capability of the warheads. Now sources inside Iran have revealed the regime's nuclear weaponisation entity, Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research's (SPND) secret project to accelerate nuclear ability. Hidden under the guise of a chemical production facility, the crowning jewel of the operation is a base known internally as the 'Rangin Kaman (Rainbow) Site". It is some distance from Iran's already known nuke bases, and is masked as a chemical production company known as Diba Energy Siba. READ MORE HERE 'Fighting spirit' Fereshteh said that despite facing "unprecedented repression and executions" the regime has failed to contain protests and even executions are not intimidating the public as they once did. She told how the political prisoners at some of Iran's most notorious prisons have been on hunger strike every Tuesday for 68 weeks as a protest against the death penalty. "Every week, their statement, which is courageously smuggled out of prison and published, speaks of their fighting spirit and loyalty to their commitment to freedom and the rejection of the death penalty," Fereshteh said. "Imagine that they are trapped in the prisons of religious fascism, but despite all the pressure the regime exerts on them, these strikes have continued for 68 weeks. "The people's anger and hatred grow stronger each day. "During the uprisings, I witnessed young girls, and even elderly women remove their hijabs when passing by the oppressors, signaling their defiance. "The intensity of this anger has reached a point where the regime no longer dares to harass women for not wearing hijabs as aggressively as before." Call for support Fereshteh has now called on the governments of the US and UK to "stand with the Iranian people" to prevent the regime completing its nuclear programme. She said: "The British government must immediately activate the trigger mechanism to prevent the regime from having more time to complete its nuclear program. "Since this regime will under no circumstances abandon its efforts to produce a bomb, this again underscores the necessity for the West to stand with the main opposition to this regime and the people of Iran and to provide political support for their efforts to change the regime." 15 Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 15 She added: "Not a day passes without various segments of the population - retirees, workers, teachers, nurses, medical staff, students, and those whose wealth has been plundered by IRGC-affiliated gangs - taking to the streets to protest against the regime. "Moreover, the increasing demonstrations from farmers and factories and businesses facing ongoing water and power shortages illustrate that we are witnessing an explosive society. "Today, in Iran, there is no segment of society whose patience has not run out with this anti-people regime. "The regime has managed to maintain its grip on power solely through blatant repression and a daily increase in executions. "For decades, the people of Iran have watched with disbelief and pain the leniency and wrong policies of the West towards a regime that is the main cause of instability and warmongering in the region and terrorism globally. "No one here doubts that the ruling fascist regime must go, and the only way to end the crimes at home and the warmongering, terrorism, and support for terrorist forces abroad is to end this regime. "This is achievable. "Our expectation from the international community is to stand with the people and resistance of Iran."
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Ross Monaghan: From Glasgow street thug to running with global cartel bosses
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) EIGHT years ago Ross Monaghan was lucky to escape after an attempt on his life in broad daylight. But last weekend, the Lyons senior gang member was shot dead along with Eddie Lyons Jnr in a brutal hit in Fuengirola, Costa del Sol. 6 Ross Monaghan was shot dead along with Eddie Lyons Jnr in the Costa del Sol Credit: Alan MacGregor Ewing - The Sun Glasgow 6 The pair were shot in a horror gangland bloodbath at Monaghan's Irish bar in Fuengirola 6 A masked gunman shot Lyons Jnr dead outside the pub before turning his attention to Monaghan Credit: Les Gallagher - The Sun Glasgow Monaghan had a £250,000 price tag on his head over a feud with the Spanish drugs cartel linked to the south of England, it's been claimed. Sources say threats had been made in the months leading up to Saturday's double execution, but it wasn't the first time that someone had tried to kill Monaghan. In January 2017, it was just like any other day in the Glasgow area of Penilee as parents took their children to school. But little did they know there was a gunman lying in wait with a kids buggy which had a firearm in it. The gunman honed in on target Monaghan and fired two shots, one hitting him in the shoulder, the other missing. Monaghan was wearing a bulletproof vest at the time and quickly fled to Spain following the attack. Mark Richardson and Martyn Fitzsimmons were both tried then cleared of the gangland hit on Monaghan at the time. Monaghan had previously been cleared of killing Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll after a judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to convict him. The Gerbil was a feared Daniels clan enforcer known for extreme violence to anyone who got in his way or crossed him. Carroll's earliest brush with the law came in 2004 when he was charged with attempted murder. The FULL story of Scotland's biggest gangster Jamie 'The Iceman' Stevenson Coming This Sunday He was accused of shooting John Madden, a pal of Eddie Lyons Snr, with an AK-47 but the case later collapsed. Carroll, who was from Milton, then made the headlines in 2006 when he was hit in the stomach in a drive by shooting. Four years later, Carroll and associate Ross Sherlock were hit at 10pm one evening as they stood talking to others at the roadside in Bishopbriggs next to their BMW X5 - a favourite set of wheels for criminals at the time. Nobody has been charged with that crime which left Carroll fighting for his life in Glasgow Royal Infirmary under the guard of armed police. The Gerbil was then shot dead in the Asda car park in Robroyston in January 2010 in an attack that took just 25 seconds. A car pulled up just before 1.30pm, two gunmen got out and fired 13 shots into the back of The Gerbil's Audi A3 as stunned shoppers looked on. Monaghan was arrested in July that year and put on trial for the gangland hit but he denied all charges against him and lodged a special defence of incrimination against eight people. The trial collapsed due to insufficient evidence. 6 The Gerbil was shot dead in the Asda car park in Robroyston in January 2010 Credit: Universal News and Sport (Europe) 6 Monaghan was arrested in July that year and put on trial for the gangland hit but he denied all charges Credit: PA:Press Association Eddie Lyons Jnr, Stephen Lyons and Ross Monaghan all grew up in Milton. In 2000, the Lyons family had infiltrated a publicly funded community centre in the area. They took control of the Chirnsyde Community Initiative which received over £1.4million in taxpayer funding and turned out to be a front for organised crime and laid the groundwork for a bloody feud with the rival Daniel Crime Clan. Eddie's father ended up in the dock after he admitted racking up more than a quarter of a million pounds in mortgage frauds by giving lenders fake income details. In April 2016, Eddie Jnr and Monaghan later appeared before the same court but were cleared of a vicious street attack on three men outside a bar in East Dunbartonshire which took place in April 2016. But the trial collapsed when two of the alleged victims said they had no memory of what happened to them. After the attempt on his life outside the school in Penilee, Monaghan fled to Spain and he struck up a relationship with the Irish Kinahan crime cartel. Monaghan is said to have been instrumental in building an alliance between the Lyons family and the world's most wanted gang when he boldly approached godfather Daniel Kinahan several years ago. He formed a relationship with the global mob boss that has prevailed ever since, giving the Lyons extra power and control over Scotland's illegal drug trade. Former top cop Graeme Pearson said: 'Monaghan started out as a young man trying to make his way in his business and would have to be trusted to do that. 'He was part of a group which became known for extreme violence. Monaghan going on trial for murder and being acquitted through lack of evidence proved his bottle to the gang. 'Then he was shot at and survived. He earned his stripes in that world. "And it all becomes part of a growing criminal CV. But people like Monaghan make enemies everywhere.' Pearson says he tried to warn of the threat posed by super cartels 20 years ago. He said: 'The South Americans realised their relationship with America was breaking down. Their drugs and money were being seized and they started looking for another business plan. 'Europe was ready and waiting for cocaine. The nation states had lowered their borders, so moving between them became very easy. 'The only problem was getting the product in. It started with West Africa, then Spain and then the Dutch ports. 'Gangs from all over Europe, which had previously been involved with other types of drugs, sex trafficking and theft, all became interested. 'Glasgow gangs were involved in shoplifting jewellery and gold and had contacts in other countries who were willing to buy and sell. Unfortunately, I couldn't get the authorities to pay much attention.' 6 Monaghan boldly approached godfather Daniel Kinahan several years ago Credit: The Sun Monaghan's links with the Kinahan cartel Irish Sun crime editor Stephen Breen, who wrote the book Kinahan Assassins along with colleague John Hand, knows all about the Irish crime cartel. He revealed that Ross Monaghan came up while the pair were doing research for their book. Stephen said: 'Ross Monaghan had cropped up in terms of someone who had connections to Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh. 'He's now serving time for drug trafficking but it shows you the Kinahan reach, the tentacles are spread far and wide. 'We were doing research for the book and his name came up in terms of having meetings around 2016-2017 with the Kinahan organisation. 'The Kinahan organisation had a branch in the UK, and the CEO of that branch was Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh. 'He was meeting individuals from Glasgow, from Liverpool, from Birmingham, from London and it was all about the wholesale trafficking of drugs into the UK. He added: 'You always have organised crime groups calling on their associates, calling on their resources and their contacts across Europe for help if a gangland war takes place. 'It's very possible that this could happen on this occasion although the Kinahans have been fairly decimated by the investigations of the Irish authorities and targeting those who were prepared to take up the gun on their behalf.' Last Saturday, Monaghan was watching the Champions League final with Eddie Lyons Jnr in his own bar in Fuengirola when the pair were shot in a horror gangland bloodbath. A masked gunman blasted Lyons Jnr dead outside the pub before turning his attention to Monaghan, who was shot several times as he tried to scramble for cover. Terrified customers and staff hid under tables and chairs and it's believed Monaghan may have had a £250,000 price tag in his head over a feud with a Spanish drugs cartel linked to the south of England. Spanish cops were able to ID executed Monaghan and Eddie Jnr as they 'knew them well'. Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay remembers watching Monaghan in court as he tried to dupe jurors into believing he was a 'smart, besuited and respectable young man'. The ex-crime reporter said: 'This was a complete fiction. He was a dangerous drug-dealing, gangland thug. 'It's usually the case in this world that foot soldiers end up in prison or dead. 'You would think the penny might drop that those ordering and directing the drugs and violence are often left counting the money. 'The Spanish authorities and Scottish counterparts should be asking themselves how on earth a drug-dealing thug and known member of a major international drugs gang appeared to have the ownership of a prominent business which quite literally had his name above the door? 'A guy like that should never have had the ability to put his name on assets for which the only source of their funding has been drugs."
