The U.S. Department of Justice has filed charges against two Canadians and an Iranian in connection with an alleged plot to kill two people in Maryland.
The indictment unsealed Monday alleges that Naji Sharifi Zindashti, Damion Patrick John Ryan and Adam Richard Pearson conspired to murder two unidentified people, including an Iranian dissident.
US federal prosecutors say Naji Sharifi Zindashti, who lives in Iran, was part of a Tehran-led criminal network targeting Iranian dissidents and activists.
According to the allegations, which have not been proven in court, the plot was hatched between December 2020 and March 2021 on an encrypted messaging service called “SkyECC”.
According to the indictment, Naji Sharifi Zindashti agreed to pay US$350,000 (CA$470,000) for the two assassinations.
Damion Patrick John Ryan, a member in good standing of the Hells Angels, then allegedly hired as a hitman the other co-defendant, Adam Richard Pearson, who was living illegally in the United States under a false identity.
The Justice Department says Pearson and Ryan are both already incarcerated in Canada for crimes unrelated to this case.
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