BOSTON — The U.S. Department of Justice announced two Iranian nationals have been charged for their roles in a Jordan drone attack that left three United States soldiers dead in January and more than 40 injured.
All three of those soldiers were from Georgia, coming from Waycross, Savannah and Carrollton. Sgt. Breonna Moffett, Sgt. Kennedy Sanders and Staff Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, had been stationed at Fort Moore, just outside of Columbus, before deploying to Jordan.
Now, USDOJ says Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, 42, a dual U.S.-Iranian national of Natick, Mass. and Mohammad Abedininajafabadi, A/K/A Mohammad Abedini (Abedini), 38, of Tehran, Iran were charged in a federal court in Boston for violating U.S. export control and sanctions laws.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
“Today, the Justice Department has charged, and our foreign partners have taken into custody, Mohammad Abedini, who we allege supplied sensitive technology used by the Iranian military to kill three American servicemembers in Jordan earlier this year,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement. “In addition, we have charged and arrested Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen for conspiring with Abedini to export sensitive U.S. technology to Iran.”
The two men are accused of “conspiring to export sophisticated electronic components from the United States to Iran.”
“We often cite hypothetical risk when we talk about the dangers of American technology getting into dangerous hands,” U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy, the top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts, said at a news conference announcing the charges. “Unfortunately, in this situation, we are not speculating.”
RELATED STORIES:
- Ga. soldiers, close friends killed in Jordan drone strike laid to rest
- Celebration of life service held for Carrollton reservist killed in drone attack
- Community around Fort Moore feeling pain of losing 3 reservists killed in drone attack
- Metro reservist’s family ‘still in shock’ learning of his death in drone attack
- 3 Georgia reservists identified as U.S. service members killed in drone attack
- 3 US service members killed, dozens injured in Jordan drone attack
Abedini was also charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
USDOJ said Sadeghi is the founder and managing director of an Iranian company that makes navigation modules used in the IRGC’s military drone program. Justice Department officials said Sadeghi is also currently employed by a Massachusetts-based microelectronics manufacturer and was a founder of another Massachusetts technology company that makes wearable sensors for fitness applications.
“This case reflects our commitment to pursuing those who unlawfully aid Iran’s military drone program and to seeking justice for the U.S. servicemembers killed at the hands of the IRGC-backed militants earlier this year,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Export laws exist to keep cutting-edge U.S. technology out of the hands of foreign terrorist organizations. When sensitive drone technology is supplied to the IRGC – as alleged in this case – it places our military at risk and imperils American citizens.”
USDOJ said they are working to extradite Abedini from Italy, following his arrest by Italian authorities at the request of U.S. officials.
Sadeghi has already had his first court appearance in Massachusetts and has a detention hearing scheduled for Dec. 27.
Officials said both men face up to 20 years in prison, with three years of supervised release and up to $1 million fines for the conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economics Powers Act, if convicted.
Additionally, Abedini faces life in prison for the charge of supplying material support to a foreign terrorist organization, resulting in death.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
©2024 Cox Media Group
