Azerbaijani suspected of planning murder arrested in New York

Baku/01.08.22/Turan: On Thursday, the New York police arrested a man with a loaded AK-47 in Brooklyn near the house of a well-known Iranian dissident, Fox News reported on August 1. A 23-year-old native of Azerbaijan, Khalid Mehdiyev, was stopped by police in the afternoon, a loaded AK-47 and 66 rounds of ammunition were found in his car.

The investigation showed that earlier Mehdiyev had approached the house where Masiha Alinejad, an Iranian dissident living in the United States, lives. Mehdiyev stayed near her house for several hours, approached the door and behaved suspiciously.

Last year, Iranian citizens tried to kidnap Alinejad. In July 2021, she told Fox News that she was being targeted for her criticism of the Iranian authorities and for her work on human rights violations. In particular, she chronicles public beatings on the streets of Tehran, as well as publications about Iranian women who rip off their hijabs.

It is not clear from Fox News reports whether Mehdiyev is still an Azerbaijani citizen or not, and what charges he has been charged. It is known about this man that he was a member of the junior judo team of Azerbaijan.

Official Baku and law enforcement agencies have not yet commented on this case.  According to the latest reports, Mehdiyev has been charged with illegal use of a car because he does not have a driver's license and illegal possession of weapons. When arrested, he denied that he was following someone, saying that he was looking for housing in Brooklyn. As for the machine gun, Mehdiyev claimed that it was not his weapon, after which he refused to answer questions.

According to the Daily Mail, on August 2, he will appear before a New York court, which will decide his fate. ---02D---