Federal investigators are reportedly probing whether two men arrested in Washington this week after allegedly posing as federal agents have ties to Iranian intelligence.
Arian Taherzadeh and Haider Ali were charged this week with impersonating federal law enforcement, specifically Department of Homeland Security officers. The pair, both of whom are US citizens, were each charged with one count of false impersonation of an officer of the United States, which carries up to three years in prison. Prosecutors said Thursday they also plan to charge Taherzadeh and Ali with conspiracy.
Citing law enforcement sources, CBS News is reporting that investigators are looking into whether the suspects have links to Iranian intelligence, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its clandestine paramilitary wing, the Quds Force.
A prosecutor said Ali told witnesses that he had connections to Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI. He reportedly had three “older” travel visas for Pakistan and two for Iran from 2019 and January 2020. Prosecutors say Ali entered Iran once before his alleged ruse began in February 2020.
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