Two individuals accused of belonging to a Russian organized crime group are set to go on trial in the United States on Monday for their alleged involvement in a failed plot orchestrated by Iran to assassinate an Iranian dissident residing in New York. Federal prosecutors claim that in 2021, members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps hired Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov, who are linked to a “Russian mob” faction, to target an Iranian American journalist and activist critical of the Iranian government’s treatment of women. Both Amirov, 45, and Omarov, 40, have entered pleas of not guilty to charges of murder for hire and attempted murder in support of racketeering. While Omarov’s attorney, Elena Fast, has stated that her client is to be presumed innocent, no comment was provided by Amirov’s legal team. The defense for both men has disputed the characterization of them as members of the Russian mob, as stated in court documents. The target of the alleged assassination attempt, who is anticipated to testify during the trial, has not been publicly identified by prosecutors. The trial, overseen by U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon, will commence with jury selection at Manhattan federal court. This legal proceeding is part of a broader initiative led by the Justice Department under the Biden administration to combat transnational repression, focusing on thwarting attempts by foreign adversaries like Iran and China to suppress dissidents within the U.S. The trial’s duration of two weeks may shed light on purported connections between the Iranian government and criminal elements it allegedly employs for illicit operations. While representatives of Iran’s U.N. mission declined to comment on the case involving Amirov and Omarov, four Iranian intelligence officers were charged in 2021 in connection with a separate abduction scheme targeting the same individual. Those officers remain at large, with Tehran dismissing the accusations as groundless. The murder plot came to light in 2022 following the arrest of Khalid Mehdiyev, an alleged co-conspirator, outside the New York residence of the intended victim, armed with an AK-47 rifle. According to prosecutors, a Revolutionary Guard general named Ruhollah Bazghandi initiated surveillance of the journalist in July 2021 and subsequently engaged Amirov, purportedly a Russian mob figure residing in Iran at the time, to carry out the assassination. Omarov and Mehdiyev, identified as members of the same criminal organization, were also allegedly involved in the conspiracy. Bazghandi faces charges but remains outside U.S. jurisdiction. Mehdiyev, aged 26, pleaded not guilty to murder-for-hire charges in February 2023, though his current legal status is unclear following his release from U.S. custody on May 19, 2023. Both the Justice Department and Mehdiyev’s attorney did not respond to requests for comment.
