In a significant development, the U.S. Justice Department has announced charges against an Iranian national and two Canadians for their involvement in an alleged assassination plot targeting an Iranian defector residing in Maryland. This marks the third murder-for-hire plot connected to Iran that the department has prosecuted since 2022. Notably, previous targets included former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton and a New York-based Iranian-American journalist.

The indictment, unveiled in a federal court in Minnesota, reveals that the suspected orchestrator of the plot is Naji Sharifi Zindashti, an Iranian national. However, the indictment does not directly accuse the Iranian government of directing the scheme. Nevertheless, on the same day, the U.S. Treasury Department enforced sanctions against Zindashti, designating him as a drug trafficker who leads a network involved in the targeting of Iranian dissidents for kidnapping and assassination at the request of the Iranian government.

According to court documents, Zindashti collaborated with an unnamed co-conspirator based in Iran to plan the murder of two individuals residing in Maryland, one of whom had previously defected from Iran. In January 2021, Zindashti communicated with Damion Ryan, a member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, using the encrypted messaging service SkyECC. The purpose of their interaction was to discuss a job opportunity within the United States.

Ryan, in turn, assembled a "team of gunmen" that would travel to Maryland to carry out the alleged assassination. He enlisted the help of Adam Pearson, a Canadian residing in Minnesota under a false identity. The indictment cites text messages exchanged between Ryan and Pearson on SkyECC, wherein they discussed shooting the victims in the head. Pearson even expressed his intention to ensure the victims' heads would be obliterated before his contacts.

Meanwhile, Zindashti and Ryan finalized the financial details of the purported plot, settling on a payment of $350,000, which included an additional $20,000 for travel expenses. Ryan later informed the unnamed co-conspirator that a four-person team was ready for the operation. The co-conspirator then provided photographs of the intended targets, along with two maps indicating their Maryland address.

In March 2021, the co-conspirator facilitated a $20,000 payment to Ryan for travel expenses. As a result of these findings, Zindashti, Ryan, and Pearson have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to use interstate commerce in the commission of murder-for-hire. Additionally, Pearson faces two firearms charges.

While Zindashti is believed to be located in Iran, Ryan and Pearson are currently incarcerated in Canada for unrelated offenses, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

This indictment and the accompanying sanctions highlight the U.S. government's relentless efforts to crackdown on international plots aimed at silencing dissidents and potentially harming American individuals. As the investigation continues, authorities will be looking to bring the accused individuals to justice and prevent any further threats to national security.

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