Latest Developments
Iran Behind Murder-for-Hire Plot Against Alinejad: A federal district court jury in Manhattan convicted Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov on March 20 for their involvement in a 2022 plot to assassinate dissident Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad at her New York home. The jury found Amirov and Omarov — two ethnic Azerbaijanis and members of the notorious “Thieves-in-Law” criminal gang, which originated in the former Soviet Union — guilty to the charges of murder-for-hire, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to launder money. “I am relieved that after nearly three years, the men who plotted to kill me have been found guilty,” Alinejad said in a statement. “But make no mistake, the real masterminds of this crime are still in power in Iran.”
‘Bounty on Her Head, Blood Money’: Prosecutors said the plot to target Alinejad was initiated by an Iranian network led by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Brig. Gen. Ruhollah Bazghandi, who contracted with Amirov, Omarov, and fellow Azerbaijani Thieves-in-Law member Khalid Mehdiyev, a U.S. resident, who was tasked with carrying out the attempted murder. Mehdiyev pleaded guilty to attempted murder and gun charges and cooperated with prosecutors against the defendants. “The Iranian regime spent years attempting to harass, smear, intimidate, and even kidnap Ms. Alinejad,” prosecutor Michael Lockard told the jury on March 19. “When those efforts failed, the government of Iran put a $500,000 bounty on her head, blood money that Mr. Amirov and Mr. Omarov were all too eager to claim.”
Iran’s Historic Collaboration With Western Criminals: Iran uses criminal gangs for its international assassination plots as an alternative to individuals of Iranian descent or those radicalized by the regime’s ideology, as these groups — including Thieves-in-Law — can be harder for authorities to detect. In 2011, the United States uncovered a plot to use a Mexican criminal gang to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, and in 2021, a Canadian member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Group was recruited to carry out assassinations of Iranian expatriates in the United States. Other prominent examples of Iranian collaboration with criminal gangs have been uncovered in Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
FDD Expert Response
“The court’s verdict is great news. Those who targeted Masih Alinejad will spend the rest of their lives in prison. Now, the masterminds — the Islamic Republic, Khamenei, and the IRGC — must fall. Only then will there be true justice and a free Iran.” —Mark Dubowitz, CEO
“Justice has been served but only against one iteration of the long arm of Iran-backed terror. Whether directed at Iranian dissidents or foreign officials abroad, the regime in Iran increasingly uses transnational criminal syndicates and other elements from the criminal underworld as guns-for-hire to extend its terror and repression into the free world. These elements need to be exposed and have the full weight of both the law enforcement and national security apparatus come down on them like a ton of bricks.” —Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow
“Despite being the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism, the Islamic Republic’s malign ambitions extend beyond backing regional Shia and Sunni Islamist groups. By leveraging Western organized crime networks, the regime in Tehran seeks to obscure its role in its transnational repression.” —Janatan Sayeh, Research Analyst
FDD Background and Analysis
“Iran’s ties to Western organized crime networks,” by Janatan Sayeh
“Unpacking Iran’s counterintelligence apparatus,” by Janatan Sayeh
“IRGC Official Among Plotters Indicted for Attempted Murder of U.S.-Based Iranian Dissident,” FDD Flash Brief
“DOJ Reveals New Iran-backed Assassination Attempt on Iranian American Journalist,” FDD Flash Brief
Issues:
Domestic Extremism Iran