[SDNY] Federal prosecutors in Manhattan unsealed a superseding indictment charging four Iran-based men — Ruhollah Bazghandi, also known as "Roohollah Azimi," an individual identified as "Haj Taher," Hossein Sedighi, and Seyed Mohammad Forouzan — with participating in a murder-for-hire plot targeting a U.S. citizen of Iranian origin in New York City who had publicly criticized the Iranian government.

According to prosecutors, the defendants allegedly hired members of an Eastern European organized crime group, including Rafat Amirov, Polad Omarov, and Zialat Mamedov, to carry out the assassination. The indictment also includes charges related to money laundering and violations of U.S. sanctions laws. Authorities said the intended victim had previously been the target of other alleged plots linked to the Iranian government because of their outspoken opposition to the regime.

Amirov and Omarov were previously arrested and are currently in U.S. custody awaiting trial. Mamedov was extradited from the Czech Republic to Georgia to face related charges there. The four Iran-based defendants remain at large. The case is being handled in the Southern District of New York before U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon.