Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad says she refuses to live in fear, despite having been the target of an alleged assassination plot by an organisation with ties to Tehran, the second attempt foiled by the US in as many years.
Two of the men allegedly involved in the plot appeared in a New York federal court on Wednesday to face charges of murder for hire and conspiracy to commit murder for hire, among other offences.
But the Iranian-American journalist, who has been relentless in her criticism of Iran, told The National that she will not live in the shadows.
“If I stopped and thought about being in their crosshairs, then I’d never leave my house,” she said.
“The trick is to live your life to the full and accept to worry only about what you can control. I am now going to do more to destroy the Islamic Republic to avoid living under this fear.”
Alinejad, who left Iran in 2009 and has been living in the US since 2014, became an international phenomenon when she launched a Facebook page inviting Iranian women to post pictures of themselves without a hijab.
At first, she said, people dismissed her campaign, but the hijab is a “red line” for the clerics in Tehran.
“It’s like the Berlin Wall — once you remove compulsory hijab, the Islamic Republic of Iran would fall, too,” she said.
With a social media following of more than eight million, Alinejad views herself as “a channel for the voiceless” and wants to make sure the world “hears it”.
The FBI uncovered the alleged plot on Alinejad's life last year. It followed a separate kidnapping attempt in 2021, in which a different group of operatives tied to the Iranian regime were arrested.
The three men involved in the assassination plot were charged with murder for hire, conspiracy to commit murder for hire, money-laundering conspiracy and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Rafat Amirov, the alleged leader of an Eastern European criminal organisation based in Iran, and New York resident Khalid Mehdiyev pleaded not guilty to the charges on Wednesday.
A third man, Polad Omarov, was arrested in the Czech Republic and is awaiting extradition to the US.
Mr Amirov and Mr Mehdiyev were funded and backed by Iran in the murder-for-hire scheme, prosecutors said.
According to the US Department of Justice, officials in Iran hired Mr Mehdiyev to conduct surveillance of the journalist after supplying Mr Amirov and Mr Omarov with details about Alinejad’s New York residence.
Mr Mehdiyev was arrested last July outside Alinejad's New York home, armed with an AK-47-style assault rifle, according to a criminal complaint filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan.
Protests in Iran continue — in pictures
Police said the rifle, which had an obscured serial number, had a round in the chamber and a magazine attached, along with a second magazine with about 66 rounds of ammunition.
In 2021, the FBI foiled the plot that federal prosecutors say involved kidnapping Alinejad from her New York home and bringing her to a waiting speedboat.
The boat was meant to carry her to Venezuela and later to Iran.
Undeterred by their 2021 failure, Iranian leaders allegedly devised a new plot by recruiting Eastern European criminals.
Alinejad's 2018 memoir, The Wind in Hair: My Fight for Freedom in Modern Iran, her work with the US-funded Voice of America Persian Service and her constant online advocacy have reportedly enraged Tehran.
When asked what she needed to tip the scales and get western leaders to do more, she responded: “The US should treat [supreme leader Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei the same way that they treated [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. Nothing less.”
She added that the idea of a “benign regime” in Tehran has been pushed for years but it is merely a smokescreen.
Alinejad added she would like to see President Joe Biden's administration be clear in setting out its Iran policy rather than simply issuing “sanctions against individuals who have no assets in the US” and formally declaring the nuclear deal as “dead”.
Joe Biden recorded saying Iran nuclear deal is dead — video
In addition, she accused European leaders of lacking courage and morals, and urged them to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity.
Last week, the European Parliament called on the EU and member states to blacklist the IRGC. However, EU officials have said that listing the group as a terrorist entity would further dampen prospects for reviving the deal meant to curb Iran’s nuclear activities.
“There is a war going on in the heart of Europe and the EU should impose sanctions on countries helping Russia’s aggression,” she said.
She added that the EU should pressure its 27 member states to recall their ambassadors from Tehran.
Action now is critical, she said, as months-long protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody have reached “the tipping point”.
“The revolution has started and like all revolutions in history, protests come in waves,” Alinejad said.
“We have had the first wave and now we are catching our breath, regrouping for the next wave.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THREE
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Range: 400km
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Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
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Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
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Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
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The biog
Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns
Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Food of choice: Sushi
Favourite colour: Orange
My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci
Pushkin Press
ACC 2019: The winners in full
Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia
Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi
Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia
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Best Film Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Afcon 2019
SEMI-FINALS
Senegal v Tunisia, 8pm
Algeria v Nigeria, 11pm
Matches are live on BeIN Sports
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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UAE WARRIORS RESULTS
Featherweight
Azouz Anwar (EGY) beat Marcelo Pontes (BRA)
TKO round 2
Catchweight 90kg
Moustafa Rashid Nada (KSA) beat Imad Al Howayeck (LEB)
Split points decision
Welterweight
Gimbat Ismailov (RUS) beat Mohammed Al Khatib (JOR)
TKO round 1
Flyweight (women)
Lucie Bertaud (FRA) beat Kelig Pinson (BEL)
Unanimous points decision
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) beat Regelo Enumerables Jr (PHI)
TKO round 1
Catchweight 100kg
Marc Vleiger (NED) beat Mohamed Ali (EGY)
Rear neck choke round 1
Featherweight
James Bishop (NZ) beat Mark Valerio (PHI)
TKO round 2
Welterweight
Abdelghani Saber (EGY) beat Gerson Carvalho (BRA)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Bakhtiyar Abbasov (AZE) beat Igor Litoshik (BLR)
Unanimous points decision
Bantamweight
Fabio Mello (BRA) beat Mark Alcoba (PHI)
Unanimous points decision
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Magomedsultan Magomedsultanov (RUS)
TKO round 1
Bantamweight
Trent Girdham (AUS) beat Jayson Margallo (PHI)
TKO round 3
Lightweight
Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) beat Roman Golovinov (UKR)
TKO round 1
Middleweight
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Steve Kennedy (AUS)
Submission round 2
Lightweight
Dan Moret (USA) v Anton Kuivanen (FIN)
TKO round 2
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UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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What is Genes in Space?
Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.
It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
BABYLON
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Company%20profile
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