Iranian Operative and Canadians Charged in US Murder-for-Hire Plot

The US Department of Justice has charged an Iranian operative, Naji Sharifi Zindashti, with hiring Hells Angels members to carry out assassinations in the US. The operative, along with two Canadian nationals identified as Hells Angels members, allegedly conspired to murder two Maryland residents, one of whom defected from Iran. The DOJ's indictment alleges that the Iranian operative hired the bikers to conduct the assassination and agreed on a $350,000 payment. The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets and the United Kingdom also announced action against the operative and his network, identifying him as an Iranian narcotics trafficker operating at the behest of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security.