The person at the center of this case
Prominent Iranian dissident (unnamed)
Cold Case · Open
3 years waiting · since 2022
RUHOLLAH BAZGHANDI
Justice for Prominent Iranian dissident (unnamed) — the trail went cold in 2022, but the truth hasn't.
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Key leads to think about
🎯
suspect
Lead #1What is the current location of Ruhollah Bazghandi, and which countries (Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq) is he believed to be hiding in?
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evidence
Lead #2What communications exist between Bazghandi and the Eastern European criminal organization that directed the arrested individual?
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person
Lead #3Who are the identities of all co-conspirators, particularly the individual known only as 'Haj Taher'?
In July 2022, a member of an Eastern European criminal organization was arrested near a prominent Iranian dissident's home in Brooklyn with a loaded assault rifle and ammunition, allegedly tasked with murder. Ruhollah Bazghandi, a Brigadier General in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and three co-conspirators are accused of directing this murder-for-hire plot targeting the dissident. The case remains active with federal warrants issued in October 2024 for the suspects' arrests on charges of murder-for-hire and conspiracy.
Case
#707
United States Department of Justice; Federal Bureau of Investigation; U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
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More leads to consider
Beyond the top three above — each detail below could be the thread that pulls this case open.
💡
clue
Lead #4What intelligence led to the arrest of the hired gunman, and how was the plot discovered before the dissident was harmed?
Have information about any of these leads?
Even the smallest detail could be the key to solving this case.
Official wording
Source Narrative
Murder-For-Hire; Conspiracy to Commit Murder-For-Hire; Conspiracy to Violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act Caution: Ruhollah Bazghandi and Seyed Mohammad Forouzan , along with additional co-conspirators Hossein Sedighi and an individual known only as "Haj Taher", are wanted on charges of Murder-For-Hire, Conspiracy to Commit Murder-for-Hire, and Conspiracy to Violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. These charges relate to the alleged actions by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to target Iranian dissidents.
The regime views these dissidents as enemies of the state because of their criticism of the regime’s human rights violations and their outspoken rhetoric against the Iranian Government. On July 28, 2022, a member of an Eastern European criminal organization, was arrested with a loaded AK-47 style assault rifle and 66 rounds of ammunition near a prominent Iranian dissident’s home in Brooklyn, New York.
High-ranking members in the Eastern European criminal organization allegedly tasked the arrested individual to murder the prominent Iranian dissident. Bazghandi, Forouzan, and the other two men allegedly directed the murder-for-hire plot that resulted in the arrest.
Bazghandi is a Brigadier General in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and served as a prior chief in an IRGC-IO Counterintelligence unit during the murder-for-hire plot. The United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Bazghandi twice for his alleged role in lethal targeting and assassination plots against enemies of Iran.
Bazghandi is alleged to have been in communication with the murder-for-hire network and allegedly monitored the victim and the effort to murder the victim. In October of 2024, Bazghandi, Forouzan, and the other two men were indicted in the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, New York, New York, on the charges listed above and federal warrants were issued for their arrests on October 17, 2024.
Remarks: Bazghandi has ties to Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.
Timeline of Events
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2022-07-28
Arrest Near Dissident's Home
Member of Eastern European criminal organization arrested with loaded AK-47 style assault rifle and 66 rounds of ammunition near prominent Iranian dissident's home in Brooklyn, New York.
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2024-10-17
Federal Warrants Issued
Ruhollah Bazghandi, Seyed Mohammad Forouzan, Hossein Sedighi, and 'Haj Taher' indicted in U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York on charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Key Locations
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Case Information
Incident:July 28, 2022
Last Updated:May 9, 2026
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Case Information
Incident:July 28, 2022
Last Updated:May 9, 2026