Members of an Eastern European criminal organization connected to Iran are facing murder-for-hire charges for a failed assassination attempt on human rights activist Masih Alinejad.
In a recent development, federal prosecutors in Manhattan have brought charges against a senior official in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps of Iran and three other individuals linked to the Iranian government for their involvement in a failed plot to assassinate human-rights activist Masih Alinejad in Brooklyn in 2022. The indictment, made public on Tuesday, reveals that the U.S. government thwarted the assassination attempt, which led to federal murder-for-hire charges against members of an Eastern European criminal organization with ties to Iran.
The new charges mark the first time a high-ranking official in the Revolutionary Guards has been directly implicated in such a plot. The Revolutionary Guards are a key military force in Iran, responsible for implementing the country’s foreign policy in the Middle East and exerting control over a significant portion of Iran’s economy. The indicted official, Ruhollah Bazghandi, is identified as a brigadier general within the Revolutionary Guards and was previously sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for his involvement in counterintelligence activities, including the detention of foreign prisoners and assassination plots against journalists and individuals considered enemies of Iran.
Masih Alinejad, the targeted activist who has been vocal in criticizing Iran’s treatment of women, previously reported that the Iranian government had called for her abduction through a social media campaign in 2020. Following the revelation of the new charges, Alinejad emphasized the Iranian regime’s use of criminal networks to carry out illicit activities beyond its borders, evading accountability and consequences for their actions. She highlighted the significance of the charges in demonstrating the direct involvement of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps in such nefarious schemes, underscoring the need to continue amplifying the voices of Iranians, particularly women, who face threats from the same perpetrators within their own country.
As this story continues to unfold, stay tuned for further updates on this case.
Source: The NY Times
