25-Year Sentence in Dissident Plot

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Two Eastern European operatives have been sentenced to 25 years in a U.S. federal prison for their roles in a plot orchestrated by the Iranian regime to assassinate Iranian-American journalist and human rights activist Masih Alinejad on American soil.

Story Highlights

Two Eastern European criminals sentenced to 25 years each for Iran-backed assassination plot against journalist Masih Alinejad
An armed operative was arrested near victim’s Brooklyn home in July 2022 carrying loaded AK-47 assault rifle
Iranian Revolutionary Guards allegedly orchestrated the $500,000 murder-for-hire scheme
Three Iranian government operatives remain at large, highlighting ongoing threats to American dissidents

Justice Served Against Foreign Terror Plot

Manhattan federal court delivered substantial justice when Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov received 25-year sentences for their roles in Iran’s assassination conspiracy targeting Masih Alinejad. The Eastern European criminal gang members acted as intermediaries for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in the murder-for-hire plot. Prosecutors originally sought 55-year sentences, but the court determined quarter-century terms appropriate for the foreign-directed conspiracy. This represents a significant victory against state-sponsored terrorism on American soil.

SENTENCED: A judge gave two men 25 years in prison for conspiring to murder Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad pic.twitter.com/Mbq2LHom1w

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 29, 2025

Iranian Regime’s Brazen Attack on Press Freedom

Masih Alinejad became a target because she founded the “MyStealthyFreedom” movement challenging Iran’s mandatory headscarf laws after leaving Iran in 2009. Her dissident journalism exposed the regime’s oppression of women and human rights violations. The Iranian government allegedly placed a $500,000 bounty on her head, demonstrating the regime’s desperation to silence critics abroad. This case reveals how foreign adversaries directly threaten American constitutional freedoms, particularly press freedom and the right to dissent.

Law Enforcement Prevents Armed Assassination

American law enforcement agencies successfully prevented this assassination when they arrested an armed operative near Alinejad’s Brooklyn home in July 2022. The would-be assassin carried a loaded AK-47 assault rifle, proving the immediate and deadly nature of the threat. Investigators traced the conspiracy back to Brigadier General Ruhollah Bazghandi of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and three other Iranian operatives who remain at large in Iran. The successful intervention demonstrates the critical importance of robust national security measures and intelligence operations.

Following the sentencing, Alinejad celebrated outside the Manhattan courthouse, declaring that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been “humiliated” by the failed plot. Her defiant response—dancing and singing in Farsi—symbolized the triumph of American freedom over foreign tyranny. The case establishes important precedent that the United States will aggressively prosecute foreign operatives who attempt to carry out assassination plots on American soil, regardless of which government sponsors them.

Watch the report: Masin Alinezad Murder: Brooklyn Plot against Iranian-American journalist Succeeded | NewsX World