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Iranian-Linked Gangsters Convicted in Botched Plot to Assassinate Activist Masih Alinejad

Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov face decades in prison for orchestrating a failed murder-for-hire scheme targeting the Iranian-American dissident in Brooklyn.

Defendants Polad Omarev and Rafat Amirov watch as Masih Alinejad, a New York-based journalist who left Iran in 2009 and is known for outspoken criticism of the government in Tehran and its treatment of women, reacts during questioning during their trial at a courtroom in New York, U.S., March 10, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg/File Photo
Masih Alinejad greets friends and supporters outside the federal courthouse after testifying at the trial of her would-be assassins in New York, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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Overview

  • Eastern European gangsters Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov were convicted of hiring a hitman to kill Masih Alinejad on behalf of the Iranian government.
  • The Iranian regime reportedly paid $500,000 for the plot, motivated by Alinejad's outspoken activism against mandatory hijab laws and human rights abuses.
  • Hired hitman Khalid Mehdiyev was arrested outside Alinejad's Brooklyn home in 2022, carrying a loaded machine gun and a ski mask.
  • Mehdiyev cooperated with federal authorities after pleading guilty, revealing that he was offered $30,000 and coordinated the plot via WhatsApp.
  • The case highlights the Iranian regime's use of organized crime to target dissidents abroad and underscores ongoing threats to activists like Alinejad.