Indictment Issued Against Three Georgian and Azerbaijani Nationals for Plotting Against Masih Alinejad

U.S. authorities on Thursday issued an indictment in a federal court against a citizen of Azerbaijan and two citizens of Georgia for their involvement in a conspiracy to hire a hitman to kill Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist and activist. The identities of the three individuals have been revealed as Rafat Amirov or Fakhraddin Mirzaev, a citizen of Azerbaijan and Russia; Polad Amirov or Nowruz Nowruzadeh, a citizen of Georgia; and Ruslan Nowruzadeh or Mamedov, also a citizen of Georgia. According to the indictment, a copy of which was obtained by Voice of America, these three are part of a conspiracy designed by the Iranian government to silence Masih Alinejad. The indictment, which was issued after the charges were confirmed by a grand jury, states that the three are part of a criminal group operating in Eastern Europe. Members of this group refer to themselves as "thieves" in Azerbaijani and have tattooed a star symbol on their bodies as a group insignia. The indictment states that Rafat Amirov, a leader of the Eastern European criminal gang, was residing in Iran throughout the crime and was tasked with targeting Masih Alinejad. Amirov received information about the target from others in Iran and then passed this mission to Polad Amirov, who was residing in Eastern Europe. Polad Amirov, who holds a leadership position in the criminal gang, contacted Khalid Mahdiyev, another citizen of Azerbaijan, along with Ruslan Nowruzadeh, another group member and close assistant to Polad Amirov, and provided him with $30,000. Subsequently, Khalid Mahdiyev purchased an AK-47 and was arrested shortly thereafter near Masih Alinejad's home in New York. Khalid Mahdiyev's name is not among those indicted. At the time the mission was assigned to him, he was in Yonkers, New York. After receiving the money, Mahdiyev took photos of Masih Alinejad and her family and kept her house under surveillance, immediately relaying information to his associates in the criminal gang. Mahdiyev was arrested just as he was about to kill Masih Alinejad. He was arrested on July 28, 2022, after Masih Alinejad observed suspicious behavior near her home and left the area. He was stopped due to a traffic violation and subsequently arrested. New York police found an assault weapon and 66 rounds of ammunition in his vehicle. The indictment states that after Mahdiyev's arrest, Amirov and Mamedov continued to communicate with him, providing updates to each other and to Amirov regarding the status of the conspiracy against the victim while Mahdiyev was incarcerated. Ruslan Nowruzadeh was also residing in Eastern Europe, including Slovenia and the Czech Republic, at the time of the crimes mentioned in the indictment. The indictment has published their images and exchanged messages, including a message that Khalid Mahdiyev sent to them after procuring the weapon, stating that at least in July 2022, Rafat Amirov, Polad Amirov, and Ruslan Nowruzadeh conspired to kill Masih Alinejad. After his arrest, Mahdiyev obtained a controlled phone and used it to contact Amirov, Mamedov, and others. He even sent a picture of his arrest and a photo from his jail cell as proof of his detention, requesting money for food and cigarettes. The arrest of a Pakistani national for attempting to hire a "contract killer" on behalf of the Islamic Republic. Masih Alinejad told Voice of America: "The supportive arms of the Islamic Republic in the West will be exposed." The transfer of the individual accused of planning to kill Masih Alinejad to the U.S. A 23-year-old armed with an AK-47 was arrested near Masih Alinejad's home.