4 Iranian nationals charged with alleged conspiracy to kidnap US journalist, court documents show

The four men were charged with conspiracies related to kidnappings, sanctions violations, banking and electronic fraud and money laundering, according to the indictment. They are based in Iran and remain at large, authorities said.

“As alleged, four of the defendants monitored and planned to kidnap an American citizen of Iranian descent who criticized the regime’s autocracy, and forcibly take their victim to Iran, where the fate of the victim would have been at best. uncertain, ”US Attorney General for the Southern District of New York, Audrey Strauss, said in a press release.

Bahadorifar, a California resident from Iran, was arrested on July 1 in California and arraigned on July 8, prosecutors said. His lawyer Martin Cohen declined to comment.

Speaking to CNN on Wednesday morning, Alinejad said the FBI approached her about eight months ago and said her home was not safe.

“And I was like, you are laughing at me because I get death threats every day, what’s up? I’m here in America, there’s nothing they can do,” she said. The FBI then revealed photos of her “private life” which were allegedly taken by private investigators at her home, and she said she was shocked that the Iranian government approached her “and then I took things seriously “.

She was under FBI protection until now, she told CNN, adding that she was in different safe houses for her protection. Still, she said she would not stop her activism, in which she shares photos and videos of “speechless” Iranian mothers protesting against the regime.

“Not at all, you know why? Because these mothers are my heroines. Millions of Iranians who share photos and videos of themselves practicing their civil disobedience, these are the Rosa Parks of Iran. “she said. “They are my heroes. To be honest, I have fear in me, but what gives me power, these people. I will stop my activities when the Iranian people stop saying no to the Islamic Republic. . “

“The police have been in my house for two weeks now. When I asked them why they were here, they told me it was to protect me,” Alinejad said, according to English subtitles. “They are there from 5 am to midnight.”

“I see them often, even when I go out to check my flowers in my garden. But it gives me a sense of security when I see the police protecting me. It wouldn’t have happened in my homeland. It’s a strange feeling. “she said.

The alleged details of the plot

Prior to the alleged kidnapping plot, according to the indictment, the Iranian government attempted to lure Alinejad, referred to as Victim-1 in the indictment, by asking her relatives who lived in Iran to invite her to go to a third country, with the apparent aim of having “detained and transported her to Iran to be imprisoned there”.

According to the indictment, Farahani, an Iranian intelligence officer who resides in Iran, and his network, allegedly hired private investigators, “to monitor, photograph and videotape the family members of victim 1 and victim 1 in Brooklyn ”repeatedly in 2020 and 2021.

Farahani’s network has acquired days of video and photographs and installed a high-definition video feed live from the victim’s home.

The intelligence network also looked for ways to transport Victim 1 out of the United States and into Iran, prosecutors said. Sadeghi is said to have researched a service offering military-style speedboats and researched travel from New York to Venezuela, which has friendly relations with Iran.

Officials say Farahani’s network has targeted other victims in other countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.

“This is not a far-fetched movie plot. We claim that a group, backed by the Iranian government, conspired to kidnap a US-based journalist here on our soil and forcibly return her to Iran . Not under our watch, “said William, deputy director of the FBI. F. Sweeney Jr. said. “When we find you, you will be brought here and held responsible under US law.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh called the allegations “baseless and ridiculous,” the semi-official ISNA news agency reported.

“This is not the first time that the United States has undertaken such Hollywood scenarios,” he said.

The US State Department said that “the Iranian government continues to deny Iranians their human rights, including severe restrictions on the rights of peaceful assembly, freedom of association, freedom of religion or belief, and freedom of speech”.

“The Biden administration will continue to call and speak out against human rights violations committed by Iran, and will support those who do so here and in Iran,” a spokesperson said in a statement.