Three individuals have been charged by US authorities for allegedly conspiring to commit a murder targeting an Iranian defector residing in Maryland.
Naji Sharifi Zindashti, a 49-year-old resident of Iran, reportedly sought assistance from Canadian Damion Ryan in carrying out an assassination. Ryan, a member of the Hells Angels motorcycle club, later sought the assistance of his associate, Adam Pearson, who is currently incarcerated.
Additionally, they have been accused of singling out the defector's female companion. According to an indictment released Monday, Zindashti, who is alleged to be involved in criminal activities targeting Iranian dissidents, has agreed to pay Ryan and Pearson a significant sum of money, along with travel expenses, for the alleged murder-for-hire.
The group used an encrypted chat app called SkyECC, which has been linked to several cases of organized crime. In 2021, US authorities took control of Sky Global, the company behind the app. This is unrelated to the media conglomerate Sky Group Limited.
According to the indictment, Zindashti, a resident of Iran, contacted Ryan regarding employment opportunities. Their conversation, which began in January 2021, eventually turned to a specific plan in the United States. Ryan discussed the act of shooting the victim in the head and expressed his intention to ensure that his operatives understood the importance of removing the head from the torso.
According to his statement, he had put together a team of four individuals, one of whom was Pearson, a Canadian residing unlawfully in Minnesota during that period. The alleged targets in Maryland were not named, and it appears that the plot was never executed.
Per BBC, the three individuals face charges of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which could result in a maximum prison sentence of 10 years in the absence of any fatalities or injuries. Furthermore, Pearson is also facing charges related to firearms.
There have been previous instances where a member of the Hells Angels has been linked to Iran. In 2023, a man was convicted by a court in Düsseldorf, Germany, for attempting to set fire to a synagogue. German prosecutors revealed that the man had been approached by a member of a gang who had been cooperating with officials in Tehran.
The indictment being unsealed coincides with a period of increased tensions between the United States and Iran. This follows the unfortunate incident where three American service members lost their lives in an attack by an Iran-backed militia at a base in Jordan. President Joe Biden has made a firm commitment to respond.
Hiring of Hells Angels Bikers for Assassinations in US
The Justice Department has issued a warning about the growing audacity of certain foreign powers in their targeting of dissidents and refugees residing in the United States. Among these powers are Iran, Russia, and China.
In January, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn revealed charges against three individuals involved in a plot originating from Iran. The objective of the plot was to assassinate Masih Alinejad, an American human-rights activist who has been vocal about the country's oppression of women.
In June, an Indian man was indicted by a federal grand jury in New York for his alleged involvement in a plot to murder a Sikh dissident residing in New York. According to the charges, it is alleged that Nikhil Gupta, 52, collaborated with an undisclosed Indian government official in the recruitment of a hit man. Mr. Gupta has been apprehended in Prague and is currently being transported to the United States under the custody of Czech authorities.
The three defendants facing charges are accused of conspiring to commit two murders for hire. Pearson faces charges of possessing a firearm while being a fugitive from justice and possessing a firearm as an alien unlawfully in the United States.
Following the public indictment, both the Treasury Department and British officials have taken action by imposing sanctions on Zindashti and his associates. These individuals have been accused of engaging in various acts of transnational repression, such as assassinations and kidnappings.
According to Treasury officials, Zindashti has been implicated in the 2020 abduction of a dissident who was later brought to Iran, given a hasty trial, and subsequently executed. Zindashti and his men were also accused of being involved in the assassination of a former Iranian cybersecurity official in 2019, who had openly criticized the country's leadership, The New York Times reported.
