Trial Begins for Two Men Accused in Iran-Backed Plot to Kill U.S.-Based Dissident

The suspects, alleged members of a criminal group with ties to Iran, face charges over a foiled murder-for-hire targeting journalist Masih Alinejad.

Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov are accused of being hired by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps to assassinate Masih Alinejad, a prominent Iranian American journalist and activist critical of Iran's regime.
The defendants, linked to a Russian mob subgroup, have pleaded not guilty to charges including murder-for-hire and conspiracy related to the alleged plot.
Prosecutors allege this was Iran’s second attempt to target Alinejad, following a thwarted 2021 kidnapping plot to forcibly return her to Iran.
The alleged scheme involved recruiting a New York-based man for $30,000 to carry out the attack, which was stopped after police arrested the man near Alinejad’s home with a loaded rifle.
The trial is part of a broader U.S. effort to combat transnational repression, with the Justice Department highlighting Iran’s targeting of dissidents abroad.