2 Men Face Trial Over Iran-Backed Plot to Kill Journalist Masih Alinejad
Two men accused of being members of a Russian organized crime group will face trial in the U.S. on Monday over what prosecutors call an unsuccessful Tehran-backed attempt to kill an Iranian dissident living in New York.
Federal prosecutors say Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps in 2021 hired Rafat Amirov and Polad Omarov, members of a "Russian mob" sub-group, to kill an Iranian American journalist and activist who has spoken out against the Iranian government's treatment of women.
Amirov, 45, and Omarov, 40, have pleaded not guilty to murder for hire and attempted murder in aid of racketeering.
"Mr. Omarov is presumed innocent," Omarov's lawyer, Elena Fast, said in a statement
Amirov's lawyers did not respond to a request for comment.
In court papers, lawyers for both men have said it was "inaccurate" to refer to them as members of the Russian mob.