Two Russian mob leaders received 25-year prison sentences for attempting to murder an Iranian-American journalist in New York on behalf of Iran’s government.
Rafat Amirov, 46, and Polad Omarov, 41, were convicted of accepting $500,000 from Iranian officials to assassinate Masih Alinejad, a prominent critic of Tehran’s human rights abuses.
The case highlights Iran’s escalating efforts to silence dissidents abroad through criminal networks, and marks the latest in a series of plots targeting Alinejad, who has faced kidnapping attempts and surveillance campaigns.
According to the Justice Department announcement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hired the men after previous kidnapping schemes failed. The plot involved operatives across three continents and culminated with a hitman wielding an AK-47 outside Alinejad’s Brooklyn apartment.
“The defendants and their criminal associates came chillingly close to gunning down an Iranian-American journalist on the streets of New York,” said Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg.
Amirov held the rank of “Vor,” the highest position in the Russian mob hierarchy. His accomplice Omarov aspired to the same status.
The conspiracy began in July 2022. Iranian officials provided Amirov with Alinejad’s home address and personal details, which he relayed to Khalid Mehdiyev, a Yonkers-based associate.
Mehdiyev received $30,000 from the advance payment. He spent part of it on an AK-47 assault rifle, two magazines, and 66 rounds of ammunition.
For weeks, Mehdiyev stalked Alinejad’s neighborhood. He sent surveillance photos and videos to Omarov, who forwarded them to Amirov.
On July 24, 2022, Mehdiyev texted Omarov that he was “at the crime scene.” Three days later, Omarov told Amirov: “this matter will be over today. I told them to make a birthday present for me.”
The plot unraveled on July 28. Police stopped Mehdiyev for a traffic violation and discovered the loaded assault rifle, ammunition, cash, gloves, and a ski mask.
After Mehdiyev’s arrest, Omarov threatened to kill his mother and brother if she didn’t locate her son. The Iranian government was demanding its money back.
Following his arrest, Mehdiyev pleaded guilty to attempted murder and illegal possession of a firearm and provided evidence against Amirov and Omarov after learning that his promised share of the cash for killing his target was much smaller than he had anticipated, Courthouse News Service reported.
Another suspect, Ruhollah Bazghandi, a senior member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, remains at large. He is accused of orchestrating the murder scheme by hiring Amirov and Omarov.
Mehdiyev, who accepted a plea deal, will be sentenced at a later time, the New York Post reported.
“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 Jay Clayton said in a DOJ news release.
The March 2025 conviction followed a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon. Both men, in addition to prison time, must pay $500 special assessments.
Alinejad has long criticized Iran’s treatment of women and political dissidents. Her activism has made her a repeated target of Tehran’s intelligence services. At the trial of Amirov and Omarov in March, she testified that she saw her would-be assassin staring at her through the sunflower patch on her front porch in Brooklyn.
“As you see, I have a louder voice,” Alinejad said after the sentencing hearing, per the New York Post. “They wanted to see me dead on my porch in Brooklyn. And thanks to the law enforcement agencies, I am alive. And Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader [of Iran], is humiliated.”
FBI Assistant Director Christopher G. Raia emphasized the bureau’s commitment to protecting Americans from foreign threats:
“These defendants operated as unlawful enforcers for a foreign government to target an American journalist on our nation’s soil.”