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Published fact-check

Accusations of espionage and betrayal target high-profile Iranian dissident in New York

Contradicted

Claim checked

“Masih Alinejad is spying for the Islamist terrorist regime of Iran. She has already made several people in other counties be kidnapped, flown to Iran, being raped, tortured and murdered by URGC. She can NEVER be trusted. She is an evil woman”

Published

Verdict

Contradicted

Claims that Masih Alinejad is a spy for the Iranian regime are directly contradicted by U.S. federal investigations and court records. Evidence from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI identifies Alinejad not as an agent, but as a primary target of the Iranian government's kidnapping and assassination plots.

5 reviewed sources behind this verdict.

Reasoning

The evidence shows a consistent pattern of the Iranian regime attempting to silence Alinejad through force. In 2021, the DOJ unsealed an indictment against four Iranian nationals for plotting to kidnap her from her Brooklyn home.

Furthermore, court records from 2023 show that individuals have been sentenced in U.S. federal court for providing financial support to these Iranian intelligence assets. The claim that she facilitates kidnappings for the IRGC is the opposite of documented events; in fact, her own brother was arrested in Iran for refusing to help the regime lure her into a trap. There is no evidence in official records or credible reporting to support the allegation that she works for the state she actively critiques.

Source quality: The report relies on U.S. Department of Justice indictments, FBI statements, and reporting from Voice of America and Business Insider, which provide specific details on foiled plots and court sentencings.

Key checks

  • Allegation of spying for the Iranian regime: U.S. federal authorities have identified Alinejad as a victim of Iranian state-sponsored surveillance and kidnapping plots, not a collaborator. The FBI has provided her with safe houses and protection due to these active threats.

  • Allegation of facilitating IRGC kidnappings and torture: There is no evidence to support this. Conversely, evidence shows the Iranian regime pressured her family members in Iran to betray her, and her brother was imprisoned for refusing to cooperate with the regime's plot to kidnap her.

Confidence

High