John Bolton, photographed in 2019. Pablo Martínez Monsiváis (AP)
The US Equity Unit has accused a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Patrol Corps of attempting to kill John Bolton, homeland security adviser to President Donald Trump, a statement said. According to court documents, in October 2021, Shahram Poursafi, also known as Mehdi Rezayi, 45, of Tehran, Iran, attempted to orchestrate Bolton’s murder, likely in retaliation for the January 2020 killing of the commander. of the army corps. in a powerful common Qasem. Soleimani in an American drone attack.
Poursafi, on behalf of Iran’s Revolutionary Patrol, tried to fertilize people in the United States with $300,000 to settle the murder in Washington or neighboring Maryland, according to the Equity Unit. Poursafi is believed to be in Iran, with which the United States does not have an extradition treaty. If arrested and convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for using interstate commercial facilities to commit contract killings and up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for supporting a transnational homicide scheme. .
In a statement posted to Twitter, Bolton thanked the Equity Unit for their service, saying: “Although little can now be properly offered publicly, one point is undeniable: Iran’s leaders are liars, terrorists and enemies. the United States.” clarified that Bolton was an adviser to Trump for 17 months and a strong supporter of the hard line with Iran. Jake Sullivan, homeland security adviser to blatant President Joe Biden, even issued a statement: “If Iran attacks any of our citizens, including those who continue to serve the United States or those who have done in the past, they will suffer disastrous consequences. . .” he said.
The official complaint alleges that on October 22, 2021, the Iranian asked a US citizen, whom he had previously met on the side, to take photos of the former homeland security adviser, claiming they were for a volume he was reading. This person replied that they could introduce him to another person who would take the photos for between $5,000 and $10,000 and introduced him to another person who is a confidential FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) source, according to the Equity Unit. .
On November 9, 2021, Poursafi contacted this individual via an encrypted transport app and offered him $250,000 to hire a certain man to “turn off” Bolton. This amount would later rise to $300,000. Poursafi added that he had an extra “job” for which he would pay a million dollars. He asked her to open a cryptocurrency account to provide the warrant which would be carried out after the murder.
Over the next two months, the IRGC urged his contact to lead the operation, sending him the location of Bolton’s Washington office and even a photo with his pockets full of change. On January 3 this year, Poursafi denounced that the attack had not been carried out before the anniversary of the assassination of Qasem Soleimani. He still informed his contact that if he used a “small arsenal” he should get closer to the target, but if he used a “steeper arsenal” he could stay further away.
Subscribe to EL PAÍS to follow all the news and review without limits.
to subscribe to
The investigation shows that Poursafi had information that was not publicly appropriate and that it was provided by the fact that he worked for the United States’ Iranian Revolutionary Patrol. Poursafi told the source that after successfully completing the first “job”, he had a second task and the follow-up to that undisclosed second goal was complete.
On February 1, Poursafi gave two weeks to complete the attack. He still reported to what later turned out to be an FBI source that a certainty had checked the radio near Bolton’s home and believed there was no security presence. On March 10, Poursafi informed him that he had another murder warrant in the United States but was “hiding [a Bolton] In your thoughts. The source told him in April that he would no longer be working without a deadline, and Poursafi agreed to send him $100 in crypto to a purported wallet to prove the deadline could be met.
Image released by the FBI for the search and arrest of Poursafi.
“The Equity Unit has a solemn duty to protect our citizens from hostile governments that seek to harm or kill them,” said Assistant General Counsel Matthew G. Olsen, of the Homeland Security Division. ‘Equity Unit, in the press release. “This is not the first time we have uncovered Iranian plots to exact revenge on people on American soil, and we will work tirelessly to expose and disrupt such efforts,” he added.
“Iran has a long history of plotting to assassinate people in the United States whom it views as a threat, but the U.S. government has a longer tradition of holding accountable those who threaten the security of our citizens,” he said. said Deputy Executive Director Larissa. Knapp of the FBI’s Homeland Security Division. “There is no doubt that the FBI, the United States government and our partners remain vigilant against these threats here in the United States and abroad,” he added.
Follow all the international news on Facebook and Twitter or in our weekly newsletter.