The men also allegedly conspired to kidnap and/or lure a United States citizen, as well as victims residing in other countries. They allegedly hired a private investigator to conduct surveillance on an individual in furtherance of a plot to kidnap or harm the victim based on their anti-regime activism. Khazein is an intelligence asset of the Government of Iran and allegedly assisted the network in researching travel routes from the victim’s residence to waterfront neighborhoods near the residence.
In July of 2021, Khazein, Noori, Farahani, and Sadeghi were indicted in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, on the charges listed above and federal warrants were issued for their arrests. U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As alleged, four of the defendants monitored and planned to kidnap a U.S. citizen of Iranian origin who has been critical of the regime’s autocracy, and to forcibly take their intended victim to Iran, where the victim’s fate would have been uncertain at best.
