Russian Gang Member Admits To Murder Plot Against Iranian-American Journalist In US Trial

An avowed member of a Russian organized crime group testified in an American court on Tuesday, confessing he tried to kill Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad. The disclosure occurred at the Manhattan federal trial of two accused co-conspirators, Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov.

Khalid Mehdiyev, 27, said he was arrested in July 2022 outside Alinejad’s Brooklyn residence while carrying an AK-47 rifle and ski mask. “I was there to attempt to kill the journalist,” he said to jurors.

The suspects were allegedly paid by Amirov, 45, and Omarov, 40, to commit the murder. The US government claims that Iran’s government offered a $500,000 reward to have the killing done, referring to the two men as “hired guns” for Iran. Federal prosecutor Jacob Gutwillig made it clear that it was serious business, saying, “Masih Alinejad was almost gunned down on the streets of New York City by a hitman sent by the defendants.”

The two defendants have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder-for-hire and attempted murder in aid of racketeering, which would get them decades in prison if they are found guilty. Their defense lawyers said that the case heavily depends on circumstantial evidence and the word of a confessed criminal.

Mehdiyev, who is in cooperation with investigators after pleading guilty to attempted murder and weapons offenses, could serve at least 15 years behind bars. He confessed to having a decade-long history of violent offenses, which started in Azerbaijan a decade earlier, including kidnappings and extortions.

Iran earlier declined to be involved in plots against Alinejad, after denying independent allegations that its intelligence agents tried to abduct her in 2021 as “baseless.” The Iranian government remains silent on the latest updates in the trial.