On Tuesday, federal prosecutors charged an Iranian military official and three others connected to the Iranian government for allegedly planning to assassinate an Iranian-American journalist in New York.

The official from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Ruhollah Bazghandi, is identified as a former brigadier general who led the corps’ counterintelligence department, as stated in an indictment revealed in federal court in Brooklyn. Bazghandi, previously sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department, and the three others—Fnu Lnu (also referred to as Haj Taher), Hossein Sedighi, and Seyed Mohammad Forouzan—are all located in Iran and remain unapprehended, according to prosecutors.

Other suspects in this case have previously been charged, including one individual in 2022 and two in 2023. Although she was not named in this week’s accusations, one of the earlier suspects was arrested with a rifle near the Brooklyn residence of Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist and human rights advocate.

“Today’s indictment reveals the extent of Iran’s efforts to silence an American journalist for critiquing the Iranian government,” stated Christopher Wray, the Director of the FBI.

Following the charges, Alinejad took to social media to affirm her resolve to “echo the voices of millions of Iranians” demanding justice.

“I will persist in championing the rights of the Iranian people to achieve democracy and liberate themselves from tyranny, regardless of the dangers involved,” Alinejad posted on X. “My resistance remains strong, and nothing can quench my spirit of defiance.”

Prosecutors allege IRGC was involved in murder-for-hire scheme

Alinejad has been vocal about Iran’s human rights violations and the suppression of political dissent. Prosecutors assert that the IRGC, which the U.S. classifies as a terrorist organization, tried to assassinate Alinejad on U.S. territory and plotted to kidnap her in 2020 and 2021 in an effort to quiet her criticisms of the regime.

The Department of Justice disclosed indictments in January 2023, indicating that members of a criminal organization from Eastern Europe, identified as the Bazghandi Network, were hired to kill Alinejad.

Legal documents indicate that members of the Bazghandi Network had been involved in the assassination plot since at least July 2022. Prosecutors allege that Bazghandi, Haj Taher, Sedighi, and Forouzan recruited Rafat Amirov, Polad Omarov, Zailat Mamedov, and Khalid Mehdiyev to execute the murder scheme.

The murder plot was orchestrated by Amirov, who was residing in Iran at the time, providing information about Alinejad to Omarov, as per court documents. Omarov subsequently coordinated with Mamedov and Mehdiyev to implement the plan.

Prosecutors assert that the criminal organization intended to lure Alinejad from her home by requesting flowers from her garden, after which she would be shot.

“Mehdiyev’s involvement in the scheme was interrupted when he was detained near Alinejad’s residence on or around July 28, 2022, while carrying an assault rifle, 66 rounds of ammunition, approximately $1,100 in cash, and a black ski mask,” the DOJ reported in a statement.

Amirov, Omarov, and Mamedov were arrested abroad in January 2023 and charged for their roles in the scheme. Currently, Amirov and Omarov are in custody in the U.S., while Mamedov was extradited from the Czech Republic to Georgia to face charges there.

Despite the arrests, prosecutors indicate that other members of the Bazghandi Network continued their pursuit of Alinejad.

In March 2023, prosecutors allege that Haj Taher sought information about Alinejad’s family, and Sedighi saved an image of her home. In May 2023, Bazghandi was reportedly searching online for footage of “a person in the house of [the victim],” watching a video titled “A video of the arrested gunman in front of [the victim]’s home in New York received by [the victim’s employer].”

Bazghandi, Haj Taher, Sedighi, and Forouzan have been charged with crimes including murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, conspiracy to launder money, and conspiring to bypass the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and U.S. sanctions against the Iranian government, according to the indictment.

U.S.-Iran relations strained

This indictment is part of escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. As the Iran-Israel conflict intensifies, the U.S. has witnessed an increase in attempted attacks and kidnappings, reports Reuters.

In recent years, federal agencies have noted a rise in plots associated with the Islamic Republic of Iran. An analysis by Reuters found that there have been at least 33 assassination or abduction attempts in Western countries that local or Israeli authorities link to Iran since 2020.

Federal authorities accused Iran of wanting to assassinate U.S. officials in retaliation for the killing of an Iranian general in a drone strike ordered by former President Trump, among other stringent policies.

Last month, the Biden administration announced a $20 million reward for an IRGC member charged in a murder-for-hire plot aimed at former national security adviser John Bolton. This offer followed Trump’s statement regarding being briefed by U.S. intelligence about “real and specific” threats from Iran against his life.

Earlier this year, the Department of Justice

Authorities have charged one Iranian and two Canadian citizens with an alleged scheme to assassinate an Iranian defector and another resident of Maryland on U.S. territory. Prosecutors claim that the three defendants were part of a criminal organization targeting Iranian dissidents at the behest of the Iranian government.