Two members of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang were involved in a plot that the US and UK police say they foiled, and it included an Iranian defector and his female partner. According to reports in The Guardian and the BBC, Naji Sharifi Zindashti, 49, is facing accusations of allegedly using Canadian Damion Ryan to assassinate a Maryland resident who had defected from Iran. This alleged "assassination network" purportedly targets Iranian dissidents across the globe for the benefit of the Iranian government.
The guys allegedly received $350,000 from Zindashti, plus an extra $20,000 for travel expenses, when Ryan, 43, recruited a buddy named Adam Pearson, 29. The scheme, however, was a bust, and both Pearson and Ryan are now doing time in prison on unrelated charges. Reports indicate that Zindashti is now in Iran. A published indictment from Monday states that Pearson is among the persons now facing accusations connected to firearms and conspiracy to commit murder for pay.
According to the authorities, Zindashti allegedly contacted Ryan in December 2020 over an encrypted messaging app. The victim's identity remains a mystery, although reports indicate that Pearson told Ryan, "we have to wipe his head from his body." The government "disrupted" the plans, thus the assassinations never took place, even though the money had already been agreed upon by February 2021 (NBC News quotes an official statement). In a statement regarding their actions against Zindashti's alleged operation, the US and UK assert that his network has engaged in "many acts of transnational repression," including kidnappings and assassinations, across various jurisdictions, with the goal of silencing those who the Iranian regime views as critics.
The guys allegedly received $350,000 from Zindashti, plus an extra $20,000 for travel expenses, when Ryan, 43, recruited a buddy named Adam Pearson, 29. The scheme, however, was a bust, and both Pearson and Ryan are now doing time in prison on unrelated charges. Reports indicate that Zindashti is now in Iran. A published indictment from Monday states that Pearson is among the persons now facing accusations connected to firearms and conspiracy to commit murder for pay.
According to the authorities, Zindashti allegedly contacted Ryan in December 2020 over an encrypted messaging app. The victim's identity remains a mystery, although reports indicate that Pearson told Ryan, "we have to wipe his head from his body." The government "disrupted" the plans, thus the assassinations never took place, even though the money had already been agreed upon by February 2021 (NBC News quotes an official statement). In a statement regarding their actions against Zindashti's alleged operation, the US and UK assert that his network has engaged in "many acts of transnational repression," including kidnappings and assassinations, across various jurisdictions, with the goal of silencing those who the Iranian regime views as critics.
