Manssor Arbabsiar, Assassination Plot, New York 2012
Assassination Plot Unfolds in New York City
Manssor Arbabsiar, a 58-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen holding both Iranian and U.S. passports, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his role in a plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S.
The plot, which unfolded in 2011, involved Arbabsiar meeting with a DEA confidential source in Mexico on several occasions to discuss the murder of the ambassador. Arbabsiar wired approximately $100,000 to a bank account in the U.S. as a down payment for the anticipated killing, which was to take place in the U.S.
According to the complaint and indictment filed in federal court, Arbabsiar and his Iran-based co-conspirators, including members of Iran's Qods Force, plotted the murder of the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the U.S. from the spring of 2011 to October 2011.
The Qods Force is a branch of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which conducts sensitive covert operations abroad, including terrorist attacks, assassinations, and kidnappings.
Arbabsiar was arrested on Sept. 29, 2011, at John F. Kennedy International Airport and pleaded guilty on Oct. 17, 2012, to one count of murder-for-hire, one count of conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and one count of conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries.
U.S. law enforcement and intelligence professionals worked collaboratively to ensure that Arbabsiar and his co-conspirators in Iran's Qods Force failed in their efforts. The sentencing serves as a reminder of the evolving threat environment we face.
The case highlights the commitment of U.S. authorities to rooting out and punishing individuals who act as emissaries for our enemies.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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