Justice Dept. Announces More Arrests in Plot to Kill Iranian Writer - The New York Times

The Justice Department said connected Friday that it had charged 3 men successful a crippled hatched successful Iran to assassinate Masih Alinejad, an American human-rights activistic successful Brooklyn who has criticized the country’s repression of women.

The men, Rafat Amirov, of Iran, Polad Omarov, of the Czech Republic, and Khalid Mehdiyev, an Azerbaijani antheral surviving successful Yonkers were charged with murder-for-hire and money-laundering conspiracy counts, according to an indictment unsealed successful Manhattan. The 3 men are members of an Eastern European transgression organization, known by its members arsenic Thieves-in-Law, which has ties to Iran and past twelvemonth was tasked with carrying retired Ms. Alinejad’s killing, the indictment says.

Mr. Mehdiyev, 24, was arrested successful July, aft helium was recovered with a loaded AK-47-style battle firearm extracurricular Ms. Alinejad’s house. Mr. Mehdiyev, astatine the absorption of the 2 different men, “was preparing imminently to execute the attack,” the indictment says.

“This substance is going to beryllium implicit today, brother,” Mr. Omarov said successful a connection to Mr. Amirov connected July 27, according to the indictment. “I told them to marque a day contiguous for me.”

The announcement of the charges astatine a quality league successful Washington comes arsenic Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, engulfed by the furor surrounding the assignment of 2 peculiar counsels investigating erstwhile President Donald J. Trump and President Biden implicit their handling of classified documents, has sought to stress outer threats by progressively assertive overseas actors, particularly Iran and China.

Lisa O. Monaco, the lawman lawyer general, said the United States had progressively seen “the blending of nationalist information and transgression threats, arsenic rogue nations and transgression organizations marque communal origin and stock capabilities.”

“All excessively often,” she said, “they question refuge successful countries they judge volition support and empower them — successful this case, Iran.”

Damian Williams, the U.S. lawyer for the Southern District of New York, said: “Let maine beryllium clear: In the United States, escaped code is simply a hallmark of our Constitution. In Iran, it marks you for death. We volition safeguard our citizens and their close to escaped expression.”

Ms. Alinejad, a writer who has said she was forced to permission Iran much than a decennary ago, has been unsparing successful her disapproval of its government.

In a connection to The New York Times, she said she learned of the charges against the 3 men from the F.B.I. connected Friday.

“It was shocking, but I’m not frightened for my life,” Ms. Alinejad said. “My heroes are brave Iranian women who are starring a progressive revolution, which is called ‘woman, life, freedom,’ to get escaped of this violent regime.”

The announcement of the charges comes 18 months aft the Southern District of New York and the F.B.I. said they had breached up a crippled to kidnap Ms. Alinejad and forcibly render her to Iran, for apt execution. Four Iranians were charged successful the kidnapping conspiracy, including an quality authoritative and others described arsenic quality assets. All 4 stay fugitives, prosecutors person said.

Mr. Mehdiyev, the antheral who the authorities said was recovered extracurricular Ms. Alinejad’s location with the battle rifle, has been jailed since his arrest.

Mr. Omarov, 38, was arrested successful the Czech Republic connected Jan. 4, and the United States volition question his extradition, prosecutors said. Mr. Amirov, 43, was taken into custody overseas successful the past week, according to a elder instrumentality enforcement official, and was arraigned successful Manhattan connected Friday.

As helium entered the courtroom, Mr. Amirov stood with his thorax puffed out, his jaw thrust guardant and his heavy arms swinging. Throughout a little arraignment, helium sat bouncing his knee, affirming done an interpreter that helium understood the charges against him. He pleaded not blameworthy and was ordered detained.

Mr. Garland described the crippled arsenic the culmination of Tehran’s agelong efforts to soundlessness Ms. Alinejad, who has written successful The New York Times astir wherefore she was forced to fly her homeland successful 2009.

“As a writer successful Iran, I often got into occupation exposing the regime’s mismanagement and corruption until, eventually, my property walk was revoked,” she wrote.

The indictment does not accidental Iranian officials were down the assassination plot, but it suggests a connection. Iran’s delegation to the United Nations did not instantly instrumentality a petition for comment.

According to the indictment, the defendants began readying to termination Ms. Alinejad past July, erstwhile Mr. Amirov, the Iran-based defendant, received “targeting” accusation — images of Ms. Alinejad’s location from an net mapping service, her code and 2 photographs of her — from different radical successful Iran, who were not identified.

He sent the accusation to Mr. Omarov, a Georgian national based successful Eastern Europe.

Mr. Mehdiyev traveled to Brooklyn, wherever helium took photographs and made a video showing Ms. Alinejad’s house, which were sent to Mr. Amirov and Mr. Omarov.

They past arranged for a outgo of $30,000 successful currency to beryllium made to Mr. Mehdiyev, to bargain an battle firearm and transportation retired the murder, the indictment says.

Mr. Mehdiyev sent Mr. Omarov a photograph of the cash, which was wrapped successful rubber bands.

Not each of the wealth went to the alleged plot: Mr. Mehdiyev diverted $10,000 to a “romantic spouse successful Eastern Europe,” the indictment says.

On July 19, helium obtained the battle firearm with an obliterated serial number.

He messaged a housemate the adjacent day, the indictment says: “You’d suffer your caput if you saw it.”

Over the adjacent week oregon so, Mr. Mehdiyev traveled repeatedly to Brooklyn to surveil Ms. Alinejad, her household members and her house.

In 1 speech connected July 24 cited successful the indictment, Mr. Omarov messaged Mr. Mehdiyev, asking wherever helium was.

“At the transgression scene,” Mr. Mehdiyev responded.

“OK. You are a man!” Mr. Omarov replied.

Mr. Mehdiyev wrote back: “We blocked it from some sides, it volition beryllium a amusement erstwhile she steps retired of the house.”

On July 26, Mr. Mehdiyev and Mr. Omarov exchanged messages astir strategies to lure Ms. Alinejad to her beforehand doorway — including the anticipation of asking her for flowers from her garden. But she did not travel to the door, the indictment notes.

On July 28, Mr. Mehdiyev returned to Ms. Alinejad’s location and sent Mr. Omarov a video made from wrong his car, the indictment says. It showed Mr. Mehdiyev displaying the firearm successful a suitcase, with the caption “we are ready.”

Later that day, Ms. Alinejad, detecting suspicious enactment extracurricular her house, near the area, and Mr. Mehdiyev departed astir 15 minutes later, the indictment says. He was stopped by New York City Police officers aft a postulation violation, and they recovered wrong his car the rifle, 2 ammunition magazines, astir 66 rounds of ammunition, a achromatic skis disguise and astir $1,100 successful cash.

After Mr. Mehdiyev was ordered held astatine a national detention center, helium obtained a contraband cellphone and utilized it to pass with Mr. Omarov and others, the indictment says. In 1 message, helium sent a photograph of his captive recognition paper and a presumption of his cell, arsenic impervious of his arrest, and asked for wealth to bargain nutrient and cigarettes.

On Aug. 7, Mr. Amirov and Mr. Omarov discussed quality sum of Mr. Mehdiyev’s arrest.

“He has go popular, brother,” Mr. Amirov wrote.

“I anticipation helium volition not marque occupation for me,” Mr. Omarov replied.

Nate Schweber contributed reporting.