A murder-for-hire trial got underway Monday for two men accused of plotting to kill a human rights activist and well-known critic of the Iranian regime.
Jury selection began in the trial of Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov, both of whom were allegedly hired by Iranian agents to try to kill activist Masih Alinejad.
Amirov and Omarov were charged with murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, attempted murder in aid of racketeering and money laundering. The pair is believed to have ties to Russian organized crime.
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Prosecutors allege they were contracted by members of the “Bazghandi Network” to research, monitor and target Alinejad between 2021 and July 2022. But prosecutors say the plot was foiled when a third man, Khalid Mehdiyev, was seen outside of Alinejad’s Brooklyn house on July 28, 2022.
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SIGN UP According to court documents, police officers stopped Mehdiyev, and found an assault rifle, dozens of rounds of ammunition, a ski mask and cash.
Mehdiyev is not being tried in this case. Amirov and Omarov have pleaded not guilty and remain in federal custody.
The pair were seated in court as the first 100 potential jurors were brought in before Judge Colleen McMahon for questioning by the court and parties to see if they can serve. Both wore headphones to hear translation of the proceedings.
U.S. officials have said Alinejad, who worked for years as a journalist in Iran and became a U.S. citizen in 2019, has long been targeted by the Iranian regime. She’s known as a critic of Iran’s human rights abuses, discriminatory treatment of women, and suppressions of democratic participation. The Iranian government has denied being involved in any plot on Alinejad’s life.
In post on X Sunday, Alinejad wrote, “Finally, I will face the men hired by the Islamic Republic to kill me, right here in New York. Of course, it’s not easy. But it’s a big day. I’m deeply grateful to my new country, the United States of America, for trying to keep me safe from the government of my birth country.”
She is expected to testify during the trial.
