Masih Alinejad, a prominent Iranian human rights activist and vocal critic of the Iranian government, has become the target of an assassination plot orchestrated by Iranian officials.
On July 28, 2022, a hitman who was later confirmed to be acting on behalf of the Iranian government, approached Alinejad’s residence in Brooklyn and attempted to break in.
Alinejad was at home, in a Zoom meeting so she was unable to answer the door immediately despite repeated knocks.
After a brief period of no response, the suspect left the scene, but was subsequently pulled over by police during a traffic stop.
Authorities discovered an AK-47 assault rifle and multiple rounds of ammunition in his vehicle. He was arrested and later indicted on charges of possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
“I was very focused on the conversation, so at that moment, I was just thinking about finishing the meeting first,” Alinejad said.
In hindsight, this decision may have saved her life.
Following this thwarted attempt, the FBI unveiled a more detailed murder-for-hire scheme orchestrated by Iranian officials in collaboration with non-state third parties to silence dissenting voices abroad.
The plot began in 2021, with the original plan to kidnap Alinejad and transport her to Iran for trial, potentially leading to execution.
Four Iranians with ties to Iranian intelligence agencies were charged with conspiring to carry out the abduction.
It was later confirmed that one of the suspects, Khalid Mehdiyev, was a member of the organization that attempted to kill Alinejad at her residence.
In addition to the indictment of the four alleged suspects, Niloufar Bahadorifar, an expatriate Iranian living in California, was sentenced to four years in prison after being accused of channeling aid to private investigators conducting transnational repression, including the kidnapping of Alinejad.
Bahadorifar broke into tears during the trial and said Alinejad was the hero of the Iranians.
Lawyers said she faced intimidation and threats from Iran, as her family and friends live there. While Bahadorifar was not directly involved in the assassination plots, she was the only one sentenced to prison, as the other suspects were living in Iran.
“I don’t have guns or bullets, but they have everything trying to take me down,” Alinejad said. “But you know what? They’re scared of me because I’m standing up for what’s right.”
