Trial Begins for Two Accused of Assassination Attempt Against Masih Alinejad

Two suspects belonging to a Russian criminal gang are set to be tried on Monday for their involvement in an unsuccessful assassination attempt against Masih Alinejad, a journalist and human rights activist, in New York. Federal prosecutors, without directly naming Alinejad, state that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps hired Rafat Amirov and Polad Amirov, members of a Russian criminal group, to kill her in 2021. The 45-year-old Amirov and 40-year-old Polad have pleaded not guilty. Elena Fast, Polad's lawyer, stated that her client is "innocent." Amirov's lawyer did not respond to Reuters' request for comment on the allegations against his client. Court documents show that the lawyers for both defendants have called the characterization of their clients as members of a Russian criminal gang "incorrect." Alinejad, who has been living outside Iran since 2009, told Reuters that both the assassination attempts and kidnapping efforts against her were carried out by agents of the Islamic Republic. She expressed excitement about participating as a witness in the public trial of those hired by the Islamic Republic to kill her. The trial is set to begin on Monday, March 11, before U.S. District Judge Colin McManus, with jury selection in Manhattan federal court. These charges are part of a broader effort by the Justice Department to combat transnational repression and the efforts of adversaries of the United States, including China and Iran, to silence their opponents on U.S. soil. This two-week trial could reveal connections between the Islamic Republic and criminal gangs hired by the regime to confront its opponents abroad. U.S. prosecutors charged four Iranian intelligence officers in 2021 with attempting to kidnap, all of whom are fugitives, and the Islamic Republic has dismissed the allegations against them as "baseless" despite decades of terrorist actions against its opponents abroad. The assassination attempt against Alinejad became public in 2022 during the arrest of Khalid Mahdiev, an accomplice of Amirov and Polad, outside Alinejad's home in New York with an AK-47 rifle. Mahdiev has confessed to his crime and will appear in court as a witness rather than a defendant. Court documents also indicate Mahdiev's release on May 18, 2023. This is the first public trial regarding individuals hired by the Islamic Republic for assassination on U.S. soil. U.S. prosecutors allege that a senior member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, identified as Rouhollah Bazghandi, surveilled Alinejad in the summer of 2021. They claim Bazghandi subsequently hired Amirov, who was living in Iran, to assassinate Alinejad. Although Bazghandi has also been charged, he is not in the United States. The U.S. has long identified the Iranian government as one of the largest supporters of international terrorism and has imposed extensive sanctions against it.