Two individuals linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard are now facing terrorism charges in the U.S. related to the interception of a vessel in the Arabian Sea, which resulted in the deaths of two Navy SEALs earlier this year.
Federal prosecutors in Richmond, Virginia, announced a new indictment on Thursday charging Iranian brothers Shahab Mir’kazei and Yunus Mir’kazei, along with Pakistani boat captain Muhammad Pahlawan, with providing material support to Iran’s weapons-of-mass-destruction program and other offenses.
The Mir’kazei brothers remain at large, while Pahlawan and three crew members have been in custody since the Navy SEAL team intercepted their dhow in January.
During the boarding of the dhow, Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers fell overboard due to high waves creating a gap between the two boats. Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram jumped in to rescue him, but both Chambers and Ingram were declared dead after an 11-day search failed to locate them.
The search of the dhow uncovered Iranian-made weaponry, including cruise and ballistic missile components. U.S. officials believe the dhow was intended to supply weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have increased attacks on merchant and U.S. military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden following the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The Houthis have been designated as a terrorist group by the State Department since February, and the Revolutionary Guard Corps has held the designation since 2019.
The indictment alleges that the Mir’kazei brothers, working for the Revolutionary Guard Corps, paid Pahlawan approximately $40,000 to carry out multiple smuggling operations from Iran to the Somali coast near Yemen.
The federal public defender’s office, appointed to represent Pahlawan, declined to comment. The Iranian brothers, who are not currently in custody, do not have listed attorneys. Arrest warrants for both brothers were issued on Wednesday.
0 Comments