MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - Two Russian mafia leaders have been sentenced to 25 years in prison after a failed plot to murder dissident Iranian journalist, author, and women's rights activist Masih Alinejad on behalf of the Iranian Government.
In March 2025, Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov, top level leaders of the Russian Mob, were found guilty of murder-for-hire, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and related charges, following a two-week trial before U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon. The judge imposed their sentences Thursday.
Amirov, Omarov and their criminal associates came chillingly close to gunning down Alinejad at her New York City home in 2022. 'Tehran has long sought to silence Ms. Alinejad, and after multiple failed kidnapping attempts, turned to Omarov and Amirov and their organization to stalk and murder her,' said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. This case is part of a well-documented and disturbing rise in plots involving criminal networks paid by Iran to target dissidents in the United States and around the world, she added.
The Iranian Government's plot, exposed at trial, involved actors on three continents and culminated with a hitman with an AK-47 outside Alinejad's apartment in Brooklyn.
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia said, 'Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov, two highly ranked members of the Russian Mob, attempted to assassinate Masih Alinejad to permanently silence her criticism of the Iranian government and public advocacy of human rights.
After its efforts to kidnap Alinejad from the U.S. failed in 2020 and 2021, the IRGC turned to Amirov and Omarov and offered $500,000 to murder her.
Amirov, 46, is a citizen of Iran, while Omarov, 41, is a Georgian citizen.
Also known as bratva, Russian Mob is a collective of various organized crime related elements originating and operating in Russia.
Alinejad, 49, works as a presenter/producer at Voice of America Persian News Network, a correspondent for Radio Farda, a frequent contributor for Manoto television, and a contributing editor for IranWire. She focuses on criticism of the status of human rights in Iran, especially women's rights. Time magazine named her among its 2023 honorees for Women of the Year.
Alinejad, who holds US citizenship, lives in exile in New York City.
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