عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Men Accused of Impersonating Federal Agents Investigated for Possible Ties with IRGC

US Capitol police attend a morning briefing outside the US Capitol in Washington, US, August 3, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
US Capitol police attend a morning briefing outside the US Capitol in Washington, US, August 3, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
TT
20
TT

Men Accused of Impersonating Federal Agents Investigated for Possible Ties with IRGC

US Capitol police attend a morning briefing outside the US Capitol in Washington, US, August 3, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
US Capitol police attend a morning briefing outside the US Capitol in Washington, US, August 3, 2021. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

The US Department of Justice issued a ruling to maintain the imprisonment of two persons arrested in Washington, for impersonating federal security officials over several years, as well as recruiting people to gain access to the security service that protects President Joe Biden and his wife.

The authorities launched an investigation into possible links with Iranian intelligence services, particularly Al-Quds Force, the foreign arm of the Revolutionary Guards.

The US authorities announced the arrest of Iranian-born Arian Taherzadeh, 40, and Pakistani-born Haider Ali 35, on Wednesday evening in their residence in the luxurious Crossing Building, in the Eastern Market neighborhood near the US Capitol building in Washington.

Justice Department Assistant Attorney Joshua S. Rothstein told the court on Friday that the two men, who hold US passports with visas to Iran and Pakistan, have impersonated Department of Homeland Security officials, including members of federal law enforcement agencies, since February 2020.

Rothstein said that during 2019 and 2020, the two men recruited professional security personnel in an apartment building in Washington, and traveled several times to Pakistan, Turkey, Iran and Qatar.

In addition, Rothstein said that Ali “made claims to witnesses that he had connections to the ISI, which is the Pakistani intelligence service.”

Investigators found in the residence a number of pistols, stockpiles of weapons, flak jackets, radios, a small drone, training manuals and surveillance equipment.

They were also charged with providing bribery and favors to members of the United States Secret Service, including an agent working with the bodyguards of First Lady Jill Biden, and another officer in the White House Uniformed Division.

Judge Michael Harvey ordered that the two men not be released on bail, due to fears that they might escape the United States. The Pakistani embassy in Washington did not comment on the allegations of the suspects’ links with Pakistani intelligence. CBS News reported that investigators are looking into the possibility that the accused have links to Iranian intelligence, including the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, or its foreign arm, Al-Quds Force.

Most Viewed

 
World

China’s Xi Slams ‘Bullying’ as Beijing Hosts LatAm Leaders 

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers his opening speech during the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of China and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in Beijing, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers his opening speech during the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of China and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in Beijing, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP)
TT
20
TT

China’s Xi Slams ‘Bullying’ as Beijing Hosts LatAm Leaders 

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers his opening speech during the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of China and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in Beijing, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers his opening speech during the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of the Forum of China and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States in Beijing, Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (AP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed Tuesday to deepen ties with Latin America and condemned "bullying" in a thinly veiled swipe at the United States, as he addressed regional leaders in Beijing.

Leaders and officials from Latin America and the Caribbean have descended on the Chinese capital for the China-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) Forum.

Beijing has stepped up economic and political cooperation with Latin American nations in recent years and has urged a united front against US President Donald Trump's recent maelstrom of tariffs.

Latin America has emerged as a key battleground in Trump's confrontation with China, and the region is coming under pressure from Washington to choose a side.

Addressing leaders on Tuesday, Xi hailed China's burgeoning ties with the region.

"Although China lies far from the Latin American and Caribbean region, the two sides have a time-honored history of friendly exchanges," Xi told the opening ceremony, likening the summit to a "great, sturdy tree".

"Only through unity and cooperation can countries safeguard global peace and stability and promote worldwide development and prosperity," Xi said.

The Chinese leader also pledged $9.2 billion in credit towards "development" for the region -- part of a broad set of initiatives aimed at deepening cooperation, including on infrastructure and clean energy.

Beijing will also work with the region in counterterrorism and fighting transnational organized crime, Xi said, as well as enhancing exchanges such as scholarships and training programs.

Xi's remarks come a day after the United States and China announced a deal to drastically reduce tit-for-tat tariffs for 90 days, an outcome Trump dubbed a "total reset".

Under that agreement, the United States agreed to lower its tariffs on Chinese goods to 30 percent while China will reduce its own to 10 percent.

The deal marked a major de-escalation of a grueling trade war between the world's two largest economies which threw global markets into turmoil.

- Xi warns of 'risks' -

"There are no winners in tariff wars or trade wars," Xi said.

"Bullying and hegemony will only lead to self-isolation," the Chinese leader added.

"The world today is undergoing accelerated transformations unseen in a century, with multiple risks intertwined and overlapping," Xi said.

Among notable attendees at the forum is Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who arrived in Beijing on Saturday for a five-day state visit.

Also present is Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who last week said he intends to sign an accord to join Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative during his visit.

Petro called for "dialogue between civilizations" that took into account the interests of the region.

"A horizontal dialogue, rather than a vertical one, can be free of authoritarianism, of imperialism, of the give and take between civilizations," he said.

Two-thirds of Latin American countries have joined Beijing's trillion-dollar BRI infrastructure program, and China has surpassed the US as the biggest trading partner of Brazil, Peru and Chile, among others.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric told the forum that his country would take a "leap forward in economic relations with China".