A federal jury returned guilty verdicts on all five counts in the superseding indictment against Rafat Amirov, also known as Farkhaddin Mirzoev, Pᴎᴍ, and Rome, 46, of Iran, and Polad Omarov, also known as Araz Aliyev, Polad Qaqa, and Haci Qaqa, 40, of Georgia.
The defendants were convicted of murder-for-hire and attempted murder in aid of racketeering charges in a trial before U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon. Amirov and Omarov are scheduled to be sentenced on September 17.
According to court documents, Amirov and Omarov were high-ranking members of an Eastern European organised crime group who worked with other members to attempt to kill Masih Alinejad on instructions from high-ranking members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Alinejad has previously been the target of plots by Iran to intimidate, harass, and kidnap her for her work as a journalist, author, and human rights activist who has publicised Iran’s human rights abuses around the world.
As recently as 2020 and 2021, Iranian intelligence officials and assets plotted to kidnap Alinejad from within the U.S. for rendition to Iran in an effort to silence her criticism of the Iranian regime.
After these brazen efforts to kidnap Alinejad from the U.S. failed, the IRGC turned to Amirov and Omarov to locate, surveil, and murder her. Beginning in approximately July 2022, Amirov sent targeting information—which he had received directly from IRGC officials in Iran—about Alinejad to Omarov.
In turn, Omarov communicated this information to Khalid Mehdiyev, another member of the Organization who had been residing in Yonkers, New York, so that Mehdiyev could surveil Alinejad and murder her.
In turn, Mehdiyev sent photographs and videos of Alinejad’s residence to Omarov, who shared these materials with Amirov and the IRGC officials who orchestrated the plot in Iran.
Amirov and Omarov then arranged for a $30,000 cash payment to Mehdiyev, who used a portion of this payment to buy an AK-47 style assault rifle, two magazines, and at least 66 rounds of ammunition, as Mehdiyev boasted in electronic communications, a “war machine” he could use to kill Alinejad.
In late July 2022, Mehdiyev repeatedly travelled to Alinejad’s neighbourhood to surveil her. Mehdiyev sent reports of his surveillance to Omarov, who passed them to Amirov. On July 24, 2022, Mehdiyev reported to Omarov from Alinejad’s residence that he was “at the crime scene.”
On July 27, 2022, Omarov told Amirov that Mehdiyev was ready to kill Alinejad, writing, “This matter will be over today. I told them to make a birthday present for me. I pressured them, they will sleep there this night.”
On July 28, 2022, Mehdiyev sent Omarov a video taken from inside the car that Mehdiyev was driving with the assault rifle and a message reading, “We are ready.”
Amirov sent an image of the interior of Alinejad’s home to Omarov to be forwarded to Mehdiyev, writing, “This is the house where she stays.”
As Omarov continued to update Amirov about Mehdiyev’s readiness. Amirov cautioned Omarov, “Let him keep the car clean.”
When Mehdiyev subsequently drove from where he was surveilling the residence, he was stopped after a traffic violation and during a subsequent search of the vehicle, police officers found the assault rifle, 66 rounds of ammunition, approximately $1,100 in cash, and a black ski mask.
After Mehdiyev was arrested and placed into custody, Omarov contacted Mehdiyev’s mother and threatened to kill her and her other son if she did not locate Mehdiyev.
Amirov and Omarov were convicted on five counts: murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison (count one); conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison (count two); conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison (count t); attempted murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison (count four); and possession and use of a firearm in connection with the attempted murder, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison (count five).
