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October 23, 2024 – Iran –
U.S. authorities have uncovered a chilling assassination plot targeting Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad, allegedly orchestrated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). On October 25, 2024, federal prosecutors unsealed charges against Brigadier General Ruhollah Bazghandi, a high-ranking IRGC intelligence official, and six co-conspirators for attempting to hire Russian-speaking criminals to murder Alinejad on U.S. soil.
According to the indictment, the plot began in mid-2022 and involved attempts to recruit organized crime networks to carry out the killing. Surveillance footage showed one of the suspects, Khalid Mehdiyev, loitering near Alinejad’s Brooklyn home with a loaded AK-47-style rifle, 66 rounds of ammunition, and a ski mask. Mehdiyev was arrested and convicted earlier this year for his role in the scheme. He reportedly received orders and payment from overseas operatives linked to Iranian intelligence.
This is not the first time Alinejad, a fierce critic of the Iranian regime and vocal advocate for women’s rights, has been targeted. In 2021, U.S. authorities foiled a separate Iranian plot to kidnap her and forcibly return her to Iran. Alinejad has long been the focus of Iranian smear campaigns and has faced threats both online and offline for her activism.
In response to the latest revelations, Alinejad shared a video of herself cycling in New York, defiantly stating, “I’ve been given a second life.” She thanked U.S. law enforcement for their protection and vowed not to be silenced by fear.
The Department of Justice emphasized that the plot reflects Iran’s broader campaign of transnational repression, in which authoritarian governments attempt to silence dissidents, journalists, and activists living abroad. Similar threats have been directed at other U.S.-based targets, including former government officials and exiled Iranian dissidents.
Human rights groups and press freedom advocates have condemned the attack as part of a disturbing global trend of authoritarian regimes using violence to stifle free expression. The case underscores the urgent need for stronger international mechanisms to hold states accountable for targeting journalists and dissidents beyond their borders. Alinejad’s survival stands as both a warning and a testament to the resilience of those who speak truth to power.
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