Two Russian mob leaders, hired by Iran to kill a journalist in New York, have been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov were part of an Iranian plot to assassinate Masih Alinejad, a journalist, author, and human rights activist, according to the Justice Department.
"The defendants and their criminal associates came chillingly close to gunning down an Iranian-American journalist on the streets of New York," said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. "Tehran has long sought to silence Ms. Alinejad, and after multiple failed kidnapping attempts, turned to Omarov and Amirov and their organization to stalk and murder her."
Omarov and Amirov were found guilty in March of several charges, including murder-for-hire and attempted murder in aid of racketeering. They were sentenced Wednesday.
"I crossed an ocean to come to America and have a normal life, and I don't have a normal life," Alinejad told the court during Omarov and Amirov's sentencing, according to the Associated Press. "I'm a brave woman. I'm a strong woman. They couldn't break me. But they brought fear to my life. These criminals turned my life upside down."
Alinejad has worked as a journalist and writer for various outlets, including IranWire and Radio Farda. She has written several books, including a 2018 memoir, "The Wind in My Hair," which chronicles her life growing up in Iran.
In 2014, she created the Facebook page "My Stealthy Freedom," which encouraged Iranian women to share photos of themselves without their hijab. She currently produces a podcast, "World According to Masih."
Alinejad's activities apparently garnered the attention of Iranian leadership, who first began plotting her kidnapping in 2020 and 2021, according to the Justice Department.
"Alinejad has previously been the target of multiple plots by the...Iran to intimidate, harass, and kidnap her for her work as a journalist, author, and human rights activist who has publicized...Iran's human rights abuses," the Justice Department stated. "Especially its discriminatory and oppressive treatment of women, repression of political expression, and killings of Iranians engaged in peaceful protests against the regime."
The plots were launched by high-ranking members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). After failing to silence Alinejad, the Justice Department said those figures then turned to Amirov and Omarov for assistance in 2022.
According to federal prosecutors, the IRGC offered Amirov $500,000 to kill Alinejad and provided him with targeting information, including her address and information about her family. In July 2022, Amirov enlisted Omarov, sending him the targeting information.
Omarov then brought in Khalid Mehdiyev, a member of their criminal organization. Mehdiyev received $30,000, some of which was used to prepare for the murder while surveilling Alinejad in New York. Federal prosecutors say Mehdiyev bought an AK-47 style assault rifle, two magazines, and 66 rounds of ammunition.
"The plot exposed at trial involved actors on three continents, culminating with a hitman with an AK-47 outside Ms. Alinejad's apartment in Brooklyn," said U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton.
On July 28, after surveilling Alinejad, Mehdiyev was stopped for a traffic violation. A search of his car resulted in police finding the assault rifle and ammunition, as well as $1,100 in cash, gloves, and a black ski mask.
After Mehdiyev's arrest, the plot quickly fell apart with Omarov contacting Mehdiyev's mother and threatening to kill her and her son if she didn't find Mehdiyev, because the IRGC wanted its money back.
"This case is part of a well-documented and disturbing rise in plots involving criminal networks paid by Iran to target dissidents in the United States and around the world. We are committed to holding accountable those who join forces with this vile regime to violate our national sovereignty or threaten U.S. citizens," Eisenberg said.
