New Details Revealed About the Plot to Assassinate Masih Alinejad

The New York Times reported on Friday, March 15, additional details about the plot to assassinate Masih Alinejad. According to the report, U.S. federal prosecutors believe that the assassination plan against Alinejad, a journalist and critic of the Islamic Republic, is part of a broader effort by the Iranian government to silence its opponents over the past decade. In a Manhattan court session, the prosecutor described Alinejad as an inspiring figure for others in Iran and around the world, stating that the Islamic Republic decided to eliminate her due to her 'shining a light on the oppression of women.' The prosecution announced that Rafat Amirov, 45, and Polad Amirov, 40, were the operatives behind this plot and hired Khalid Mahdiyev to carry out the assassination. Mahdiyev confessed in federal court that Polad Amirov had told him that killing Alinejad would earn him $160,000, and this assassination was commissioned by individuals in the Azerbaijani government who were connected to the Iranian regime. According to Mahdiyev's confessions, after receiving $30,000 through one of Polad Amirov's associates and purchasing a weapon for $2,000, he seriously began the operation to kill Alinejad. He provided details of his actions to surveil Alinejad and contact her to execute the murder plan in court, but the plot was thwarted with Mahdiyev's arrest in Brooklyn, New York. The New York Times reported on Friday, March 15, that Mahdiyev, a member of a Russian criminal group from Azerbaijan, testified against Amirov and Polad Amirov in court and admitted that Polad Amirov had told him over the phone that they accepted the offer to kill Masih Alinejad in exchange for a significant amount of money. In this session, the prosecutor introduced Mahdiyev as 'Amirov's trusted individual' and emphasized that the details of this assassination project would be examined in court. According to the prosecution, 'it appears that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran is behind this plot.' Both Amirov and Polad Amirov, who are citizens of Azerbaijan, have denied the charges in court, but if convicted, they face decades in prison. Meanwhile, Amirov's lawyer claimed his client is innocent and described Mahdiyev as a 'lying criminal.' The Azerbaijani embassy in Washington did not respond to The New York Times' request for comment on this case. After U.S. federal officials first uncovered the assassination plot against Alinejad two years ago, Merrick Garland, the then Attorney General of the United States, warned that the U.S. would not tolerate any foreign powers' attempts to threaten American citizens or silence or harm them. This report incorporates information from The New York Times and Voice of America.