Four employees or informants of Iranian intelligence are accused in the United States of the planned kidnapping of American journalist and human rights activist Masih Alinejad. The Department of Justice announced this Tuesday.
The Iranians allegedly planned to kidnap and bring in Iranian-born American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad, who lives in the Brooklyn area of New York. There she will be tried as a critic of the system. It appears that the FBI was able to thwart the plans.
The ministry stated that the four suspects are in Iran. A fifth person living in California, is accused by the New York attorney general of being involved in financing the plans.
Ali Nejad told the news agency on Tuesday Reuters to be in shock. She said she has been working with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation for the past eight months after they approached her with photos of her potential kidnappers. In 2020, Alinejad already wrote in the American newspaper Washington Post That the Iranian government called for her kidnapping.
In 2019, Iranian agents seduced the Paris-based journalist Ruhollah Zam To travel to Iraq where he was kidnapped and taken to Iran. He was executed last year. With his news agency Amadnews, Rouhollah Zam has mobilized for years to demonstrate in Iran.
