A federal jury has convicted two European men in a chilling Iran-backed assassination plot targeting prominent Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday. The pair, Rafat Amirov of Iran and Polad Omarov of Georgia were found guilty of attempting to orchestrate a murder-for-hire scheme on American soil in 2022, acting on behalf of the Iranian government.
The convictions follow a multi-agency investigation into the Iranian regime’s efforts to silence critics abroad, particularly those who speak out against its human rights abuses. Prosecutors said the Iranian government promised $500,000 to the two defendants for carrying out the plot.
“This verdict is a powerful message,” said Sue J. Bai, head of the DOJ’s National Security Division. “The Iranian regime’s brazen plot to silence and murder Americans will not be tolerated.”
Masih Alinejad, an outspoken critic of Iran’s mandatory hijab laws and the country’s treatment of women, has long been in the crosshairs of Iranian authorities. A former journalist covering the Iranian parliament, Alinejad relocated to the U.S. in 2009 and has since written for top publications like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal while hosting programs on Voice of America.
After the verdict, Alinejad expressed relief but emphasized that the individuals truly responsible remain in power in Tehran.
“For the first time, the regime of the Islamic Republic is being held accountable for bringing its campaign of terror to U.S. soil,” Alinejad wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “This is just the beginning of exposing and dismantling its network of violence.”
Court documents reveal that Amirov and Omarov were senior members of the Bazghandi Network, a criminal organization tied to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — an elite Iranian military unit designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. The Bazghandi Network, named after IRGC brigadier general Ruhollah Bazghandi, has long been suspected of conducting extraterritorial operations for Tehran.
After an earlier 2020 plot to kidnap Alinejad failed, the IRGC reportedly turned to Amirov and Omarov to carry out her murder. Starting in July 2022, Amirov received direct instructions from IRGC officials in Iran and passed Alinejad’s personal information to Omarov, who then coordinated the hit through an operative based in the U.S.
That operative, identified as Khalid Mehdiyev, monitored Alinejad’s home in Brooklyn, sending detailed surveillance reports to his handlers. He used the payment to purchase an AK-47-style rifle, two magazines, and 66 rounds of ammunition.
According to court testimony, on July 27, 2022, Omarov informed Amirov that the hit was imminent. “This matter will be over today,” he reportedly wrote. “I told them to make a birthday present for me.”
The following day, police pulled over Mehdiyev for a traffic violation and discovered the rifle, ammunition, a ski mask, and more than $1,000 in cash inside his vehicle. He later testified that his mission was to kill Alinejad.
Alinejad herself testified during the trial, recounting the moment she spotted a suspicious man standing among the sunflowers outside her home that summer. “He was in the sunflowers, like, staring into my eyes,” she said, describing the experience as terrifying.
U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon will sentence Amirov and Omarov on September 17. Both face up to life in prison on charges of attempted murder and firearm possession in furtherance of a violent crime.
Polad Omarov’s attorney, Elena Fast, said after the trial that she respects the jury’s verdict but plans to appeal. Amirov’s defense team did not immediately respond to media inquiries.
Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said the case represents a serious escalation in the Iranian government’s attempts to silence critics abroad.
“Iran has tried for years to silence an outspoken Iranian journalist, author, activist, and critic of their regime through any means necessary,” Podolsky said. “This verdict sends a clear message: If you target U.S. citizens, we will find you, no matter where you are, and bring you to justice.”
The DOJ also named additional individuals connected to the assassination plot: Zialat Mamedov of Georgia; Ruhollah Bazghandi of Iran; Haj Taher (alias); Hossein Sedighi; and Seyed Mohammad Forouzan. All are believed to be affiliated with the Bazghandi Network and remain at large. Investigators say the network continued tracking the case even after it was exposed, indicating sustained interest in silencing Alinejad.
Meanwhile, the verdict arrives amid renewed tensions between the U.S. and Iran. In February, President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum reinstating his “maximum pressure” policy against Iran, ordering the Treasury Department to impose broad economic sanctions. Despite this tough stance, Trump later sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in March proposing nuclear negotiations.
Khamenei rebuffed the outreach, stating that Iran “will not be bullied into negotiations,” according to Iranian state media.
In her social media post, Alinejad warned that the plot was bigger than her, urging the Trump administration to act decisively.
“The Iranian regime doesn’t just hate me; they hate the very principles that define America — freedom, democracy, and free speech,” she said. “If they can send assassins to kill a journalist on American soil, they can threaten anyone. Will you take action before it’s too late?”
The case has intensified calls for greater protections for journalists and exiled activists living in the U.S., particularly those from countries known to target dissidents overseas.
While the convictions offer some measure of justice, analysts say the broader threat of state-sponsored attacks on U.S. soil remains a serious concern.
