Three people imprisoned for having attempted to assassinate an Iranian dissident in New York

She has been known since 2014 for having launched the movement “ mystealthyfreedom (“my furtive freedom”) encouraging Iranian women to protest against the compulsory wearing of the veil in their country. And that’s why Masih Alinejah, 45 and eight million Instagram followers, is a target of Tehran.

US authorities announced on Friday that they are holding three people charged with attempting to assassinate him in the United States. Khalid Mehdiyev was arrested on July 29 armed with an AK-47 rifle near the New York home of Masih Alinejad.

But “he was not acting alone, he had accomplices, Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov, members of an Eastern European criminal organization linked to Iran”, Justice Minister Merrick Garland said during of a press conference.

“Personal Murder”

Rfat Amirov, who lived in Iran and headed this organization, had been contacted “by individuals in Iran to organize a sponsored murder”, specified the minister. He was arrested Thursday in the United States and is due to appear before a federal judge on Friday.

Polad Omarov was arrested in the Czech Republic on January 4 at the request of the United States, is awaiting extradition. These two men had organized the sending of 30,000 dollars to Khalid Mehdiyev, based in the United States, whom they had first asked to monitor their target.

The minister recalled that four Iranian government agents had already been indicted in July 2021 for trying to kidnap Masih Alinejad three years earlier. Iran had denied any involvement in this project.

“We will not tolerate attempts by any foreign government to silence or harm Americans,” he said.

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