Two men, Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov, have been convicted of murder-for-hire in a plot orchestrated by high-ranking members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to silence journalist Masih Alinejad in the United States. Alinejad, a critic of Iran’s treatment of women and human rights record, was the target of the plot. The indictment includes charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit money laundering, attempted murder, and carrying a gun for an attempted murder. A previous unsuccessful attempt to kidnap Alinejad in 2021 prompted the murder plot. The defendants subcontracted the job to Khalid Mehdiyev, who was arrested with an assault rifle near Alinejad’s home. The FBI conducted surveillance on Mehdiyev prior to his arrest. Alinejad, who had been banished from Iran, launched a social media campaign in the U.S. encouraging women to post photos without hijabs. Amirov and Omarov face potential life imprisonment at their sentencing in September. President Trump recently ordered Voice of America, with which Alinejad is affiliated, to cut operations to the minimum under the law. Iran has denied the allegations, and Alinejad welcomed the verdict as a form of accountability for the Iranian regime’s campaign of terror.
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