The Iranian agents planned to take the journalist, who is an Iranian-born U.S. citizen, back to Iran, where, according to the Justice Department, “the victim’s fate would have been uncertain at best.” The Justice Department described her as “a journalist, author, and human rights activist, residing in Brooklyn, New York, who has publicized the Government of Iran’s human rights abuses.” The Iranians also allegedly mounted a thorough campaign to surveil her home in service of their mission.
Masih Alinejad, an award-winning presenter for Voice of America’s Persian Service and a fierce critic of Iran’s policies on women’s rights, told The National that she was the intended victim: “They had plotted to kidnap me.” An unidentified law enforcement officer told NBC New York that Alinejad was the target. Alireza Farahani, 50, Mahmoud Khazein, 42, Kiya Sadeghi, 35, and Omid Noori, 45, are charged with conspiracy to kidnap, conspiracy to violate the sanctions against Iran, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and conspiracy to launder money.
