Justice Department announces new arrests in plot to kill New York-based journalist directed from Iran - CNN

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CNN  — 

The Justice Department announced caller arrests Friday successful a crippled to termination a New York-based journalist and quality rights activistic who is captious of the Iranian government.

The 3 men charged, who are allegedly portion of an Eastern European transgression enactment with ties to Iran, are facing murder-for-hire and wealth laundering charges for plotting to termination writer Masih Alinejad.

All 3 of the defendants, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Friday, are presently successful custody.

“Today’s indictment exposes a unsafe menace to nationalist information – a treble menace posed by a vicious transnational transgression radical operating from what it thought was the harmless haven of a rogue nation. That rogue federation is the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said astatine a quality league unveiling the charges.

Alinejad vowed to proceed her activism successful a video connection released Friday soon aft the section announced the charges: “Let maine marque it clear: I’m not frightened for my life.”

“I’m going to proceed giving dependable to brave Iranian leaders, women, men, wrong Iran who are trying to prevention the remainder of the satellite from 1 of the astir unsafe virus(es), which is called Islamic Republic,” she said. “If we don’t instrumentality a beardown enactment close now, we volition look these terrorists connected US ungraded much and more.”

One of the 3 men had been arrested this past summertime successful the Brooklyn vicinity wherever Alinejad lives. At the time, helium was charged with possessing a firearm aft constabulary recovered successful the backmost spot of his conveyance a suitcase containing a “Norinco AK-47-style battle firearm … loaded with a circular successful the enclosure and a mag attached, on with a abstracted 2nd magazine, and a full of astir 66 rounds of ammunition,” according to a complaint.

The DOJ said successful a connection Friday that since astatine slightest July, the 3 men person been “tasked with carrying out” the execution of Alinejad, “who antecedently has been the people of plots by the authorities of Iran to intimidate, harass and kidnap” her.

“As precocious arsenic 2020 and 2021, Iranian quality officials and assets plotted to kidnap the (Alinejad) from wrong the United States for rendition to Iran successful an effort to soundlessness the (Alinejad’s) disapproval of the regime,” the section said successful a statement.

In a CNN interrogation past year, Alinejad said that the Iranian authorities had been targeting her and her household for her efforts to springiness dependable to the protestation question successful the state wherever she was born.

“I’m not frightened (for) my beingness astatine each due to the fact that I cognize what I’m doing. I person lone 1 life, and I dedicated my beingness to springiness dependable to Iranian radical wrong Iran who bravely spell to the streets – look guns and bullets to protestation against Iranian authorities – but this is happening successful America,” she said astatine the time.

Alinejad was targeted successful different alleged kidnapping plot by Iranian nationals successful 2021 aft she spoke retired against the Islamic Republic. The crippled was organized by an Iranian quality official, an indictment alleged, but Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied immoderate involvement, calling the accusation “baseless and ridiculous,” according to the semi-official quality bureau ISNA.

This communicative has been updated with further details Friday.