The United States Department of Justice has charged three men with conspiring to murder an Iranian-American writer and activist known for speaking out against human rights abuses in her home country. The target was Masih Alinejad, an Iranian opposition activist, journalist, and author living in exile in Brooklyn. Read more details at brooklyn-yes.com.
Face-to-Face with the Assassin
The trial of two alleged Russian mobsters for the attempted murder of women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad exposed chilling details of the plot. On the day of the incident, Alinejad had just finished picking tomatoes and cucumbers in her Brooklyn backyard when she noticed a huge man standing near her house, seemingly lost in thought. Initially, Masih dismissed the giant figure as just a regular guy—hardly anyone raises an alarm for someone simply standing outside a home. Even the fact that he was holding a phone didn’t immediately put her on guard.
When the man spoke, Alinejad assumed he was addressing her and asked if she could help him. However, when she realized he was on the phone, she apologized and, for the first time, felt a pang of concern. Masih found it suspicious that someone would be speaking on a phone right near her door. She panicked and rushed toward her front door.
Masih Alinejad had a meticulously maintained and landscaped garden with sunflowers that were a local attraction, often photographed by passersby. She tried to calm herself, thinking that perhaps the large man was doing the same—just taking pictures of her sunflowers.
Alinejad used working in her garden as a coping mechanism against the frequent abuse and threats she received for her opposition to women’s rights violations in Iran. She even had a rule: for every insult and curse directed at her, she would plant a flower. Consequently, Masih ended up with a beautiful, sprawling garden, as she explains that a torrent of curses and threats is constantly hurled her way.
As for the giant man standing next to her lovely garden, it turned out he was the would-be assassin. His name was Khalid Mehdiyev. His target was not the sunflowers, but Alinejad herself. This was the Tehran regime’s attempt to silence a powerful voice of the opposition.
Federal prosecutors proved that Mehdiyev was intended to be the operative in an international murder-for-hire plot involving the government of Iran and two co-conspirators, Russian organized crime figures Rafaat Amirov and Polad Omarov. The latter two were allegedly hired by Iranian officials to carry out the dirty work, with a promised payment of $500,000. It’s worth noting this was not the first attempt on Masih Alinejad’s life, but previous efforts had also failed.
Why the Regime Wanted Masih Alinejad Dead
The Iranian regime of the Ayatollahs wanted to kill Alinejad due to her public advocacy for the rights and freedoms of women in that country. Masih left Iran in 2009 after the disputed presidential election and moved to the United States, where she initiated an online campaign for women’s rights, worked as a journalist, authored articles, and became a fierce critic of the Iranian government.
Ultimately, all three men—43-year-old Raafat Amirov of Iran, 38-year-old Polad Omarov of the Czech Republic and Slovenia, and 24-year-old Khalid Mehdiyev of Yonkers, New York—were charged with attempted murder and money laundering, according to an indictment handed down by a federal court in New York. The three men were in custody, with one of them pending extradition to the US.
Omarov’s attorney stated that they and their client respected the jury’s verdict but planned to appeal on his behalf. Mehdiyev testified in court as a witness. Prosecutors claimed that Amirov and Omarov paid him $30,000 to kill Masih Alinejad and detailed the entire conspiracy in court documents.
The Murder Plot
According to the prosecution’s version of events, in mid-July 2022, Amirov sent Omarov several photos of Alinejad and her home, along with her address. Amirov, in turn, passed this information to Mehdiyev. A few days later, Mehdiyev purchased an AK-47 assault rifle and even bragged about it to his partner, writing that he had bought a real “combat machine” and ammunition, which he messaged to her along with a few emojis.
At the same time, Khalid Mehdiyev, a resident of Yonkers, New York, made repeated trips to Brooklyn, where he surveilled Masih Alinejad and her family. He shared his observations with his co-conspirators, who encouraged him. The prosecution obtained messages showing the men discussing ways to lure Masih to her door. One plan involved attempting to ask the woman for flowers from her garden.
However, the killers were unable to carry out their intentions, despite their eagerness. Omarov and Amirov began to worry about Mehdiyev. On July 27, 2022, the men exchanged messages saying that everything would be finished that day. It was Polad Omarov’s birthday, and he was apparently expecting a “gift.”
The following day, Mehdiyev went to Masih Alinejad’s house. On the way, the man recorded a video showing a suitcase in the backseat, which contained the weapon.
The accused sent this video to Omarov with the caption: “We are ready.” Omarov, in turn, sent the video to Amirov, who instructed Mehdiyev about the car, ordering him to keep it as far away as possible—Alinejad was to be shot at a distance from the vehicle to prevent forensic evidence from being recovered.
All this time, Mehdiyev did not know he was being watched. The day before, police had noticed him in the neighborhood near Alinejad’s house, judging that the man was behaving suspiciously. Mehdiyev had repeatedly gotten into and out of his Subaru. He approached the woman’s house, tried to peer through a window, and even attempted to open the front door. Mehdiyev even ordered food delivery to his car.
The plot was ultimately foiled after Masih Alinejad left her home. Mehdiyev became agitated and drove after her. He ran a stop sign, and the police pulled him over. Upon checking his documents, officers discovered he was driving without a license, which had been previously revoked. He was subsequently detained.
While Mehdiyev was at the precinct, officers searched his car. They found the weapon, which had a “defaced” serial number, ammunition, and over $1,000 in cash. Mehdiyev explained his presence near Masih Alinejad’s house by claiming he was looking for a new apartment because the rent where he lived was too high for him.
He claimed he was trying to open the outer door of the house so he could knock on the inner door and ask if the owners were renting a room. Mehdiyev told police during the interrogation that he was carrying the cash in case he needed to rent a hotel room.
The Federal Jury’s Decision
When asked about the Kalashnikov rifle, Mehdiyev initially claimed he knew nothing about the weapon. However, after the agents left the interrogation room, the man himself requested to speak with them again. On his second attempt, he confessed that the AK-47 belonged to him and added that he was in Brooklyn because he was “looking for someone.” After this, he requested a lawyer and refused to speak further. Mehdiyev later pleaded guilty to involvement in the conspiracy and became a key prosecution witness at the trial.
Ultimately, a Federal jury in New York convicted Raafat Amirov and Polad Omarov of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire targeting journalist Masih Alinejad in July 2022. They now face decades in prison.
Since that time, Masih Alinejad no longer lives in that house. She returns occasionally to see her neighbors and ensure they are watering the flowers in her garden.
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