Iranian-Linked Gangsters Convicted in Botched Plot to Assassinate Activist Masih Alinejad

Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov face decades in prison for orchestrating a failed murder-for-hire scheme targeting the Iranian-American dissident in Brooklyn.

Eastern European gangsters Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov were convicted of hiring a hitman to kill Masih Alinejad on behalf of the Iranian government.
The Iranian regime reportedly paid $500,000 for the plot, motivated by Alinejad's outspoken activism against mandatory hijab laws and human rights abuses.
Hired hitman Khalid Mehdiyev was arrested outside Alinejad's Brooklyn home in 2022, carrying a loaded machine gun and a ski mask.
Mehdiyev cooperated with federal authorities after pleading guilty, revealing that he was offered $30,000 and coordinated the plot via WhatsApp.
The case highlights the Iranian regime's use of organized crime to target dissidents abroad and underscores ongoing threats to activists like Alinejad.