Iran International
The same person accused of engagement in an assassination attempt on President-elect Donald Trump and Iranian-American activist Masih Alinejad also planned on targeting Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka, an unsealed US Justice Department indictment revealed.
Farhad Shakeri, an Afghan national with ties to Iran, was instructed by an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) official to carry out a mass shooting in the touristy area of Arugam Bay, a popular destination for Israeli travelers, according to the US indictment.
The attacks were to be carried out in October 2024 and included the supply of AK-47 rifles and other weapons.
“Sri Lankan authorities reported having arrested three individuals in connection with the threat. One of the individuals arrested was identified as CC-2,” the indictment read.
CC- 2 was allegedly told to monitor Arugam Bay and worked with Iranian intelligence officials to gather information and carry out the attack, Shakeri told the FBI according to the unsealed document.
Shakeri advised US federal agents that he and CC- 2 had served time together in prison. Shakeri, identified by US authorities as residing in Tehran, immigrated to America as a child and was deported around 2008 after serving 14 years in prison for a robbery conviction. He developed a network of criminal associates during his prison sentence.
The indictment also states that as part of the plot, he planned to assassinate two American Jews described as "supporters of Israel." Shakeri was instructed to locate the victims in New York and said he was promised $500,000 to kill each of them.
An Iran International exclusive report revealed that an assassination plot targeting Israelis in Sri Lanka had been foiled last month according to police sources in Colombo familiar with the matter. The plot was linked to the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict.
A police source in Sri Lanka told Iran International that 577 Israelis were under "maximum security" in an operation which spanned the police and military.
The Justice Department also charged two others allegedly recruited to kill Alinejad, an outspoken critic of Iran. The other individuals were identified as Carlisle Rivera, also known as "Pop", 49, from Brooklyn, and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, from Staten Island. The unsealed indictment alleges that Shakeri instructed them to kill the journalist.
The US government said Shakeri has not been arrested and is believed to be in Iran. The Islamic Republic said claims about Iran's involvement in the alleged plots are baseless. It is unclear why Shakeri was not arrested despite being questioned by the FBI.
