Russian mob leaders sentenced in attempted assassination of journalist in New York

In what has been described as a scene from a mafia movie, a journalist in Brooklyn, New York, narrowly escaped being assassinated by the Russian mob in an Iranian government murder-for-hire scheme.

Two men, Raft Amirov, 46, of Iran, and Polad Omarov, 41, a citizen of Georgia, were sentenced to 25 years in prison on Wednesday in the Southern District of New York.

The case illustrates how foreign governments are operating on U.S. soil, endangering the lives of Americans and journalists.

According to the superseding indictment, public court filings, and evidence presented at trial, Amirov and Omarov were high-ranking members of an Azerbaijani faction of the Russian mob. Amirov is considered a “Vor, or Thief-in-Law, the highest rank in the Russian Mob,” U.S. federal authorities said. Omarov is a “cousin of a powerful Vor who aspired to become a Vor himself,” authorities said.

In March, they were both found guilty of murder-for-hire scheme targeting Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist, author, and human rights activist and resident of Brooklyn, New York. They were also found guilty of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and related charges, after a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon. McMahon imposed their prison sentences.

“The defendants and their criminal associates came chillingly close to gunning down an Iranian-American journalist on the streets of New York,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said. “Tehran has long sought to silence Ms. Alinejad, and after multiple failed kidnapping attempts, turned to Omarov and Amirov and their organization to stalk and murder her.

“This case is part of a well-documented and disturbing rise in plots involving criminal networks paid by Iran to target dissidents in the United States and around the world. We are committed to holding accountable those who join forces with this vile regime to violate our national sovereignty or threaten U.S. citizens.”

“The Government of Iran, a sponsor of terrorism, assassination, and espionage around the globe, brazenly brought its efforts to murder Masih Alinejad to New York,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said. “The plot exposed at trial involved actors on three continents, culminating with a hitman with an AK-47 outside Ms. Alinejad’s apartment in Brooklyn.”

Amirov and Omarov were offered $500,000 to kill Alinejad from high-ranking members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, authorities said. The IRGC previously targeted Alinejad, U.S. authorities found, including attempts in 2020 and 2021 to kidnap her from the U.S. and bring her to Iran to silence her, authorities said.

Alinejad has publicized human rights abuses in Iran, including the Iranian regime’s discriminatory and oppressive treatment of women, repression of political expression, and ongoing murder of Iranians engaged in peaceful protests.

After efforts to kidnap Alinejad failed, the IRGC hired Amirov and Omarov to locate, surveil and murder her., authorities said The IRGC provided them with information about her, including her home address, according to court documents.

The scheme began in July 2022, with Amirov sending targeted information to Omarov, who communicated the information to another member of the Russian mob, Khalid Mehdiyev, living in Yonkers. A $30,000 payment was made to Mehdiyev to begin surveillance and purchase an AK-47 style assault rifle and ammunition, according to court records.

In late July 2022, surveillance of her residence increased with photographs, videos and updates of stakeouts, as well as information about her and her family members being shared in text messages among the mob members, authorities said. Text messages on July 24 and 28, 2022, detailed assassination preparations, which were presented as evidence in the trial.

FBI New York Field Office Counterintelligence-Cyber Division and Iran Threat Task Force agents, NYPD Intelligence Bureau, Department of Justice National Security Division as well as officials from the Czech Republic were involved in the investigation.

The plot was foiled as journalists are increasingly being killed worldwide. Last year was the deadliest year on record for journalists, The Center Square reported. More than 100 journalists were killed; at least 550 were imprisoned; 55 held hostage and 95 remain missing, according to several reports. Iran ranks among the worst countries cited although it remains unclear how many have been murdered, kidnapped or imprisoned due to limited accessible information.