A federal jury on Thursday convicted two mobsters for attempting to assassinate an Iranian journalist and dissident at her home in New York City.
Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov, crime bosses in the Russian mob, were hired by the Iranian regime to kill Masih Alinejad, who has been outspoken in her opposition of Iran’s government after fleeing to the United States in 2009, according to The Associated Press.
The verdict was returned at a federal court in New York, ending a two-week trial that featured dramatic testimony from a hired gunman and Alinejad, an author, activist and contributor to Voice of America.
Alinejad, who was not in court, told The Associated Press she cried when she learned of the verdict.
“I am relieved that after nearly three years, the men who plotted to kill me have been found guilty. But make no mistake, the real masterminds of this crime are still in power in Iran,” she said. “Right now I am bombarded with emotions. I have cried. I have laughed. I have even danced.”
Alinejad called the verdict “a powerful gift from the American government” to the people of Iran because it shows that justice is beginning to be served.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said in a statement that the verdicts sent a message that “if you target U.S. citizens, we will find you, no matter where you are, and bring you to justice.”
Good morning everyone!
— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) March 21, 2025
The day after two assassins sent to kill me by the Islamic Republic of Iran were convicted in US Federal Court.
Truly an American Dream…Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Thank you America! For being a Light to the World.
❤️✌️💃🏾💃🏾💪 pic.twitter.com/YYL9dYP6qn
Elena Fast, Omarov’s attorney, said she plans to appeal the conviction. The defense claimed the evidence against the two men was flawed.
Alinejad gained a massive following on social media when she began exposing the brutality of the Iranian regime – especially against women. She launched several online campaigns, encouraging women to record videos in which they exposed their hair. This is a violation of Islamic law in Iran.
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Prosecutors said Iranian intelligence officials first plotted in 2020 and 2021 to kidnap her in the U.S. and move her to Iran to silence her criticism.
When that failed, Iran offered $500,000 for a July 2022 killing of Alinejad after efforts to harass, smear and intimidate her failed, prosecutors said.
American officials have accused Iran of backing several assassination plots in the United States, including against President Donald Trump when he was campaigning last year. Tehran has denied being behind any such plots.
The evidence against Amirov and Omarov was provided by the third member of the assassination squad, The New York Times reported.
Two members of the Russian mob, who prosecutors said had plotted to kill Ms. Alinejad at the behest of a network in Iran that included a brigadier general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, were found guilty in Federal District Court of offenses including murder for hire and conspiracy.
Key evidence against the men, Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov, came from a third member of the mob who was arrested in 2022 with an AK-47-style assault rifle after the authorities said he had stepped onto Ms. Alinejad’s porch in Brooklyn and tried to enter her home.
That man, Khalid Mehdiyev, said on the stand that Mr. Omarov had sent him to kill Ms. Alinejad. He also testified that Mr. Amirov later spoke with him while they were both in federal custody and admitted that he, too, had been part of the plot.
The conviction of Mr. Amirov and Mr. Omarov brought some measure of resolution to what U.S. officials have described as an unrelenting retaliation effort against an Iranian dissident who had agitated for women’s rights from abroad.
The Iranian government has made other attempts on Alinejad’s life. In one instance, it tried to bribe members of her family in Iran to lure her into a trap in Turkey so agents could kidnap her. Iranian operatives also tried to kidnap her in New York City but were unsuccessful.
Alinejad has been forced to move almost two dozen times since the authorities uncovered the assassination plot. She said this only makes her "more determined to give voice to the voiceless people."
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