On July 28, Khalid Mehdiyev, of Yonkers, was arrested by the NYPD after he was seen “lurking” outside of the home of a noted Iranian dissident journalist with a loaded AK-47.
On July 29, a Federal complaint was filed against Mehdiyev, with the following information provided by FBI agent Derek Kasse to the court.
KHALID MEHDIYEV, the defendant, was observed by members of law enforcement in the vicinity of a residence (the “Residence”) located in Brooklyn, New York, on July 27 and July 28, 2022. On July 28, 2022, MEHDIYEV arrived in the vicinity of the Residence in the morning in a gray Subaru Forester SUV with
an Illinois license plate (the “Subaru”) and remained there for several hours. MEHDIYEV behaved suspiciously during that time: among other things, he exited and entered the Subaru several times, ordered food to be delivered to the Subaru, approached the Residence, appeared to attempt to look inside the windows of the Residence, and attempted to open the front door of the Residence. In the afternoon, MEHDIYEV drove away from the Residence. MEHDIYEV was stopped in the vicinity of the
Residence by New York City Police Department (“NYPD”) officers after failing to stop at a stop sign. MEHDIYEV was the only occupant in the Subaru.
The NYPD officers who stopped KHALID MEHDIYEV, the defendant, in the Subaru, determined that MEHDIYEV was driving without a license and that MEHDIYEV’s license had been suspended, in violation of New York State law. MEHDIYEV was placed under arrest.
A search of NYPD databases revealed that the Subaru was issued a parking ticket on or about July 23, 2022, on the block where the Residence is located.
Following the traffic stop described above, KHALID MEHDIYEV, the defendant, was taken to an NYPD precinct house in Brooklyn. During an inventory search of the Subaru subsequent to MEHDIYEV’s arrest, members of the NYPD found, among other things, on the rear seat of the Subaru, a suitcase containing a
Norinco AK-47-style assault rifle (the “AK-47”), loaded with a round in the chamber and a magazine attached, along with a separate second magazine, and a total of approximately 66 rounds of ammunition. The serial number of the rifle appears to have been obliterated. The AK-47 is stamped with, among other
things, markings which read “MADE IN CHINA BY NORINCO.”1 The AK47, magazines, and ammunition recovered from the vehicle driven by MEHDIYEV are shown below:
The suitcase found in the Subaru also contained, among other things, $1,100 in U.S. currency, consisting of 11 $100 bills; a wallet with a social security card in the name of KHALID MEHDIYEV, the defendant; an expired employment authorization card from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in MEHDIYEV’s name; several bank cards bearing MEHDIYEV’s name; a New York State Driver’s Learner’s Permit in
MEHDIYEV’s name and bearing a photograph which appears to depict MEHDIYEV; and an electronic device charger. Also recovered during the inventory search of the Subaru were two other license
plates with different license plate numbers and issuing states than the Illinois license plate on the Subaru. MEHDIYEV also had approximately $70 in U.S. currency on his person
The New York State Learner’s Permit issued to KHALID MEHDIYEV, the defendant, and in his possession at the time of the car stop, lists an address in Yonkers, New York as his residence (the “Yonkers Address”).
At the NYPD Brooklyn precinct house, KHALID MEHDIYEV, the defendant, was advised of his Miranda rights and waived those rights and agreed to answer questions. During the ensuing interview, the following occurred, in substance and in part:
a. MEHDIYEV stated that he has been staying at the Yonkers Address and woke up there the morning of July 28, 2022.
b. MEHDIYEV claimed that the rent was too high and he needed to find a new place to live, and was in the vicinity of the Residence in Brooklyn because he was looking for a new apartment. MEHDIYEV further claimed that he had also been in the vicinity of the Residence the day prior to his arrest.
MEHDIYEV further claimed that: he attempted to open an outer door of the Residence so that he could knock on the inner door, and ask the occupants if they were interested in renting him a room, but changed his mind because he might wake up a sleeping or sick occupant; he had cash in order to rent a hotel room if necessary; and he had borrowed the Subaru and needed to return it to the Yonkers Address.
Without having previously been questioned about the assault rifle found in the Subaru, MEHDIYEV volunteered that he did not know anything about a gun, and during subsequent questioning, he claimed that the suitcase recovered from the backseat of the Subaru was not his. MEHDIYEV further stated
that the suitcase was on the backseat of the Subaru when he borrowed the Subaru in the morning, and remained in the Subaru as he drove the Subaru from Yonkers, to New Rochelle, and then to Brooklyn. MEHDIYEV further claimed that he had placed his wallet, an electronic device charger, and other personal effects inside the front pocket of the suitcase for safekeeping, but had not observed that the main compartment of the suitcase contained the AK-47.
Later, after the interviewing agents had left the interview room, MEHDIYEV asked to speak with the agents again, and then told the agents that the AK-47 was his, and that he had been in Brooklyn because he was looking for someone. At that point, MEHDIYEV invoked his right to counsel and stated that he
would not discuss the matter further at that time.
Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad is an award winning Iranian-American journalist, who has been a vocal critic of human rights under Iran. She lives in exile in NYC,
Last year, Federal prosecutors charged four foreign agents with attempting to kidnap Alinejad. The defendants live in Iran and were never apprehended. The plan, according to the indictment, was to lure Alinejad to another country where she would be kidnapped.
Then SDNY US Attorney Audrey Strauss said, “A U.S. citizen living in the United States must be able to advocate for human rights without being targeted by foreign intelligence operatives.”
