- Two Azerbaijani nationals charged as Iran's operatives in assassination plot
- Prosecutors cite intercepted AK-47 and $500K payment plan
- Defense claims key witness is convicted felon with credibility issues
- Case reveals Iran's global targeting of hijab rule protesters
- Azerbaijan's criminal networks allegedly exploited for cross-border operations
The federal trial of Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov has laid bare chilling details of Iran's alleged transnational repression campaign. Prosecutors assert the defendants, tied to Eastern European organized crime, acted as Tehran's proxies to silence Masih Alinejad - a prominent critic of mandatory hijab laws. This case marks the first public criminal trial involving Iran's efforts to attack dissidents on U.S. soil, setting a precedent for how democracies counter state-sponsored terrorism.
Court documents reveal a multi-layered operation spanning three continents. Khalid Mahdiyev, the confessed would-be assassin, was arrested in July 2022 after routine traffic stop in Brooklyn led to the discovery of an automatic rifle hidden in his vehicle. Ballistic analysis later matched the weapon to Iranian military stockpiles, according to prosecutors. Financial records presented in court show $150,000 in cryptocurrency transactions traced to Iranian intelligence fronts.
Legal experts highlight three critical implications: First, the use of proxy criminals complicates diplomatic responses. Second, encrypted messaging apps have become tools for transnational plots. Third, Iran's escalating operations abroad suggest internal regime instability. A 2023 State Department report notes a 40% increase in Iranian assassination attempts globally since 2020, with Azerbaijan emerging as a key logistics hub due to shared borders and lax financial controls.
The defense strategy focuses on discrediting Mahdiyev's testimony, emphasizing his 2019 conviction for insurance fraud in New Jersey. 'This case rests on the word of a man who sold fake earthquake relief bonds,' argued defense attorney Michael Martin. However, prosecutors counter with geolocation data placing both defendants near Alinejad's home on multiple occasions, paired with Farsi-language threat letters mailed from Istanbul.
Alinejad's activism, which mobilized 15 million Iranian women to share protest videos through her 'White Wednesdays' campaign, has made her Tehran's top target. The trial disclosed a 2020 failed kidnapping attempt where Iranian agents tried to lure her onto a boat from Long Island. Human Rights Watch documents 78 similar Iran-linked abduction plots worldwide since 2015, often leveraging diaspora criminal networks.
As the jury hears final arguments, international observers warn of retaliatory cyberattacks. The case's outcome could reshape how Western nations prosecute foreign interference, with pending legislation like the Transnational Repression Accountability Act drawing directly from this trial's evidence.