An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Wednesday that accusations by US authorities that Iran is plotting to kidnap Iranians abroad who criticize the country are "baseless and ridiculous."
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The spokesperson, Saeed Khatibzadeh, was quoted by Iran's semiofficial ISNA news agency a day after US federal authorities in New York announced criminal charges against four Iranian intelligence operatives.
The authorities, quoting from an indictment, say the individuals plotted to kidnap a prominent Iranian opposition activist and writer in exile from her Brooklyn residence and take her to Tehran.
Khatibzadeh derided the plot as "Hollywood-style scenarios" and "baseless and ridiculous" accusations unworthy of a response.
"Making such an imaginary story is not unlikely by the US. Its entire short history is full of assassination, kidnapping and sabotage in other countries," Khatibzadeh said.
Later Wednesday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told a briefing that Iran's "actions to attempt to silence the voices of those peacefully working to address the situation both inside of Iran and outside of Iran are appalling."
"We categorically condemn Iran's dangerous and despicable reported plot to kidnap a US citizen on US soil," she said.
She said law enforcement actions like those announced Tuesday were part of a strategy to defend US citizens and interests that include actions taken to defend US forces from Iranian-backed terrorist groups and diplomatic efforts to constrain Iran's nuclear program.
The indictment in Manhattan federal court described the plot as part of a wider plan to lure three individuals in Canada and a fifth person in the United Kingdom, along with individuals in the United Arab Emirates, to Iran.
The identities of the alleged victims were not released but Brooklyn-based Masih Alinejad confirmed that authorities had told her she was among the targets.
"I knew that this is the nature of the Islamic republic, you know, kidnapping people, arresting people, torturing people, killing people. But I couldn't believe it that this is going to happen to me in the United States of America," Alinejad told The Associated Press.
Alinejad, who worked for years as a journalist in Iran, long has been targeted by its theocracy after fleeing the country following its disputed 2009 presidential election and crackdown.
She is a prominent figure on Farsi-language satellite channels abroad that critically view Iran and has worked as a contractor for US-funded Voice of America's Farsi-language network since 2015. She became a US citizen in October 2019.
Before the plot to kidnap Alinejad started in 2020, authorities say, the operatives had made several failed attempts to lure her to Turkey by coercing family members to invite her for a reunion.
Alinejad's brother warned her of the scheme, she said.
"My brother exposed it and he was arrested" in Iran, she said. Other family members living in Iran were forced to publicly denounce her, she said.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
Roya Boroumand, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran, said the Islamic Republic has intensified operations in the past few years against opponents in Western countries.
Social media has allowed these overseas activists to play a larger role in organizing resistance to Islamic Republic policies, posing a threat to the government, Boroumand said.
For example, Alinejad has used the reach of her 5 million followers on Instagram to promote videos of women violating Iran's head covering law.
"It has led to many people challenging government agents in the street and this is something they do not tolerate," Boroumand said.
