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Two Convicted in Iran-Backed Plot to Assassinate U.S.-Based Journalist

Eastern European crime leaders were found guilty of orchestrating a failed murder-for-hire scheme targeting Masih Alinejad, a prominent critic of the Iranian regime.

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)
A federal jury in the US convicted two men hired to assassinate Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad
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Overview

  • Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov were convicted of murder-for-hire and related charges in a plot to kill Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad in Brooklyn, New York.
  • The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps paid $500,000 to facilitate the assassination, highlighting the regime's efforts to silence critics abroad.
  • The FBI disrupted the plot in July 2022, arresting Khalid Mehdiyev, the hired hitman, near Alinejad's home with an assault rifle and ammunition.
  • Alinejad has faced multiple assassination and kidnapping attempts due to her outspoken criticism of Iran's human rights abuses and compulsory hijab laws.
  • Both convicted men face potential life imprisonment, with sentencing scheduled for September 17, 2025, while Alinejad calls for accountability for the Iranian officials behind the plot.