Masih Ali-Najjad to Voice of America: IRGC Should Be Recognized as a Terrorist Organization

Masih Ali-Najjad, a journalist and host of the Tablet program on Voice of America, welcomed the indictment against Rouhollah Bazghandi, a senior member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and three other conspirators, once again calling for the IRGC to be recognized as a terrorist organization by the international community. On Tuesday, October 24, U.S. prosecutors in New York charged Rouhollah Bazghandi and three other men with involvement in a failed assassination plot against a human rights activist. In an exclusive interview with Voice of America, Ali-Najjad referred to the indictment by U.S. prosecutors, stating that the IRGC is recognized as the "main perpetrators of the assassination plot" against him and that this case could prompt U.S. allied countries to recognize the IRGC as a terrorist entity. The critic of the Islamic Republic labeled the IRGC responsible for the repression, abuse, and blinding of protesters in Iran, adding that this organization sends drones to Russia to kill innocent citizens in Ukraine and targets innocents through "financial and military support" for groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis in Yemen. He described the indictment issued by the New York prosecutor's office as a cause of "shame for the Islamic Republic" and for those who "think the Islamic Republic can be reformed." In the new indictment from federal prosecutors in Manhattan, Rouhollah Bazghandi and three other men connected to the Iranian government were charged with participating in the failed assassination plot against Masih Ali-Najjad, a journalist and host of the Tablet program on Voice of America, in 2022. These new charges are the first set of accusations directly linking a senior IRGC official to the assassination plot against Ali-Najjad. The U.S. Treasury Department had previously sanctioned Rouhollah Bazghandi as an anti-espionage official. Bazghandi, a former head of the IRGC's counter-espionage division, has been involved in planning and overseeing the organization's operations in Iraq and Turkey, as well as deadly operations against Israeli citizens. The Treasury stated that he was involved in the detention of foreign prisoners in Iran and assassination plots against journalists and Israeli citizens. Christopher Wray, the FBI Director, regarded the New York prosecutor's indictment against Rouhollah Bazghandi and several former Iranian intelligence officials as a sign of "the depth of the Iranian regime's conspiracies against its critics." Wray indicated that the FBI investigation thwarted the conspiracy while one of the conspirators was on his way to New York to kill the victim. Following the news, Masih Ali-Najjad wrote on his account on the platform "X" that the revelation serves as a reminder of how far the Islamic Republic is willing to go to silence its opponents, even those beyond Iran's borders. He stated that the new charges expose not only the Islamic Republic but also its lobbies and even some who call themselves opposition but denied the assassination plot, putting them at risk of exposure for protecting the regime's crimes. U.S. officials had previously indicted a citizen of Azerbaijan and two citizens of Georgia for their involvement in a conspiracy to hire a hitman to kill Masih Ali-Najjad. The identities of these three individuals, Rafat Amirov or Fakhruddin 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, have been disclosed. According to the indictment, which a copy was obtained by Voice of America, these three are part of a conspiracy designed by the Islamic Republic of Iran to silence Masih Ali-Najjad. The indictment, issued after the grand jury confirmed the charges, states that these 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 sign of their group. 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 Ali-Najjad. 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, along with Ruslan Nowruzadeh, another member of the group and a close aide to Polad Amirov, contacted Khalid Mahdiyev, another citizen of Azerbaijan, and provided him with $30,000. Subsequently, Khalid Mahdiyev purchased an AK-47 and was arrested shortly thereafter near Masih Ali-Najjad's home in New York. Khalid Mahdiyev's name does not appear among the accused in the indictment. At the time he was assigned the mission, he was in Yonkers, New York. After receiving the money, Mahdiyev took photos of Masih Ali-Najjad and his family and surveilled his home, promptly relaying information to his accomplices in the criminal gang. Mahdiyev was arrested just as he was about to kill Masih Ali-Najjad. He was arrested on July 28, 2022, after Masih Ali-Najjad noticed suspicious behavior near his home and left the area. He was stopped following a traffic violation, and the New York police found an assault weapon and 66 rounds of ammunition in his vehicle. The indictment states that after Mahdiyev's arrest, communication between Amirov and Mamedov continued, updating each other and Amir-ov about 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, during the crimes mentioned in the indictment. The indictment published their images and exchanged messages, including a message from Khalid Mahdiyev after obtaining the weapon, stating that at least in July 2022, Rafat Amirov, Polad Amirov, and Ruslan Nowruzadeh conspired to kill Masih Ali-Najjad. 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 one from his prison cell as evidence of his detention and requested money for food and cigarettes. An arrest of a Pakistani national for attempting to hire a "contract killer" on behalf of the Islamic Republic. Masih Ali-Najjad to Voice of America: The Islamic Republic's support arms in the West will be exposed. The transfer of the individual accused of planning the murder of Masih Ali-Najjad to the U.S. A 23-year-old armed with an AK-47 was arrested near Masih Ali-Najjad's home.