Three Men Charged by Justice Department in Plot to Kill Iranian-American Author

The Justice Department has charged three men in a plot to kill an Iranian American author and activist who has spoken out against human rights abuses in Iran, officials said Friday.

The men, Rafat Amirov, 43, of Iran, Polad Omarov, 38, of the Czech Republic and Slovenia and Khalid Mehdiyev, 24, of Yonkers, New York, were charged with money laundering and murder-for-hire in a superseding indictment unsealed in federal court in New York. 

All of the men are in custody, either in New York or abroad. They were part of an eastern European gang working on behalf of the Iranian government and targeted her because she was so outspoken against Iran, authorities say. Since July, the men have been communicating with one another and targeting her, spying on her house, speaking with family members, and sending reports back to Iran, according to the Justice Department. 

Read the source article at cbsnews.com