FBI Issues Alert for Iranian Agent Accused of Plotting Assassinations

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is seeking Majid Dastjani Farahani, a 41-year-old Iranian national and intelligence agent, accused of orchestrating assassination plots against US officials.

"Majid Dastjani Farahani, an Iranian intelligence officer, is wanted for questioning in connection with the recruitment of individuals for various operations in the United States, to include lethal targeting of current and former United States Government officials as revenge for the killing of IRGC-QF Commander Qasem Soleimani," it said in a report on March 5. 

Soleimani was killed in 2020 in Baghdad by an American airstrike. 

He was commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) Quds Force – an expeditionary force Iran uses for military actions across the region.

The FBI released Farahani's picture and details, accusing him of plotting to murder former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Brian Hook, a former U.S. special envoy to Iran.

American officials believe both individuals are on the Islamic Republic's target list and are currently under permanent FBI protection.

The FBI said Farahani frequently travels between Iran and Venezuela and speaks English, Spanish, and French in addition to Persian. 

According to their report, Farahani recruited individuals to surveil religious institutions, businesses, and other facilities in the United States.

The agency suspects Farahani's activities were carried out on behalf of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence.