Federal judge gives man 15 years for Iran-backed assassination plot on US soil

A national justice sentenced a would-be assassin to the maximum 15 years successful situation for plotting to termination an Iranian American writer successful New York connected behalf of Iran’s government.

U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman said the defendant, Carlisle Rivera, caused "great harm" to American writer and quality rights activistic Masih Alinejad and her husband, calling the messages Rivera exchanged portion readying the 2024 Brooklyn onslaught "chilling."

Alinejad told the tribunal the repeated assassination attempts against her were not conscionable idiosyncratic threats, but attacks connected Americans and U.S. sovereignty.

"I’m conscionable a woman," she said. "My limb is my voice. My limb is my societal media."

IRAN WILL RETALIATE 'WITH EVERYTHING WE HAVE' IF US ATTACKS, SENIOR DIPLOMAT WARNS

Masih Alinejad greets friends and supporters extracurricular the national courthouse aft testifying astatine the abstracted proceedings of 2 men accused of allegedly plotting to termination her successful New York, Tuesday, March 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

She urged the justice to enforce the maximum condemnation to deter aboriginal plots "targeting U.S. citizens connected U.S. soil."

Before sentencing, Rivera, 51, apologized, telling the judge, "I’m profoundly atrocious for my actions."

Iranian civilian rights activistic Masih Alinejad attends the nightcap league titled "Rebels With a Cause: Voices of Civil Resistance" astatine the Munich Security Conference successful Munich, Germany, connected Feb. 17, 2024. (Johannes Simon/Getty Images)

In a little courtroom moment, Rivera’s fiancée approached Alinejad during a recess, sobbing and apologizing. Alinejad aboriginal said she told the pistillate she was warring not lone for herself, but "for each Americans."

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Outside the Manhattan courthouse, Alinejad warned that the unit utilized to soundlessness dissidents successful Iran indispensable not beryllium allowed to dispersed to the United States. Holding a tablet showing images of Iranians killed during protests, she said Americans should not disregard the regime’s reach.

She besides called connected President Donald Trump to instrumentality stronger enactment against Iran’s leadership, comparing the authorities to Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, who was captured successful a U.S. subject cognition earlier this twelvemonth and brought to New York connected cause trafficking charges.

Masih Alinejad, a salient Iranian American quality rights activist, attends an interrogation with The Associated Press successful Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)

"Removing terrorists is not tragedy. It’s a motion of justice," Alinejad said, adding she does not enactment bombing Iran but wants its leaders removed.

She noted that U.S. authorities person said Iran’s Revolutionary Guard was down aggregate plots to termination her, arsenic good arsenic a abstracted crippled targeting Trump. Tehran has denied the allegations.

Alinejad fled Iran successful 2009 aft the country’s disputed statesmanlike predetermination and became a U.S. national successful 2019. She roseate to prominence done campaigns encouraging Iranian women to defy the regime’s mandatory headscarf instrumentality and has since go a planetary advocator for women’s rights.

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Last year, 2 men were convicted and sentenced to 25 years for plotting to kidnap and termination her successful 2022. Prosecutors said Iran placed a $500,000 bounty connected her head.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.