A U.S. federal jury has convicted two crime leaders for their roles in a murder-for-hire plot targeting Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad, orchestrated on behalf of the Iranian government.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Rafat Amirov of Iran and Polad Omarov of Georgia were hired to assassinate Alinejad in exchange for $500,000. The two criminals were high-ranking members of an Eastern European organized crime group and acted on the instructions of senior officials from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Their conviction follows previous foiled attempts on Alinejad’s life, including a 2021 Iranian intelligence plot to kidnap her from Brooklyn and a 2022 arrest of an armed gang member outside her home.
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio welcomed the conviction, emphasizing that Iran’s attempts at lethal plotting against Americans will face justice.
“Under @POTUS, Iran’s front groups and proxies trying to operate in the U.S. will be investigated, disrupted, and prosecuted,” Rubio stated on X.
Alinejad, a vocal critic of the Iranian regime, thanked Rubio for his support while condemning the Biden administration for not holding Iran accountable. She accused the U.S. government of lifting sanctions and providing financial relief to Iran, which she claims emboldens the regime to continue its terror operations.
Amirov and Omarov were convicted on five counts, including:
- Murder-for-hire (Maximum 10 years in prison)
- Conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire (Maximum 10 years)
- Conspiracy to commit money laundering (Maximum 20 years)
- Attempted murder in aid of racketeering (Maximum 10 years)
- Possession and use of a firearm in connection with the attempted murder (Mandatory minimum of 5 years, maximum of life in prison)
They are set to be sentenced on September 17.
FBI Acting Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky called the plot a brazen attempt to silence an Iranian-American dissident. DOJ documents reveal that the Iranian government has repeatedly targeted Alinejad, using intelligence agents and international criminal networks.
This conviction sends a strong message that foreign-backed assassination plots on U.S. soil will not be tolerated.