US Concerned Over Safety Of NY-Based Iranian Rights Activist

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan expressed concerns over the safety of Iranian women’s rights activist Masih Alinejad following the arrest of a man with an assault rifle outside her New York home.

According to a National Security Council statement on Wednesday, Sullivan, who spoke with the Iranian-American journalist, said that US President Joe Biden will continue to receive updates on her situation, and added that the administration will continue to protect its citizens and dissidents from threats from the Islamic Republic.

The statement added that “the US Government will use all tools at its disposal to disrupt and deter threats from Iran, including those which target US citizens and dissidents living in the United States."

A man armed with a loaded AK-47, identified as Khalid Mehdiyev, spent two days last week outside the home of Alinejad, and at one point attempted to open the door. 

Alinejad, who was also the target of an international kidnapping plot orchestrated by Iran’s intelligence network last year, has promoted videos of women protesting Iran's compulsory Islamic dress code to her millions of social media followers. 

Several former and current US officials have decried the Islamic Republic’s harassment of the New York-based journalist and praised her steadfast fight. 

Senator Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) said on August 2, “We cannot sit idly by and continue to allow US persons to be victims of transnational repression. It's why we introduced the Masih Alinejad HUNT Act of 2021.”