Masih Alinejad, Iranian-American journalist, says man armed with AK-47 showed up at her Brooklyn home in alleged murder plot
NEW YORK -- A Yonkers man is now facing federal charges after police say they found an AK-47 in his car the same day he was caught on camera outside the home of Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad, who believes the man was there to kill her.
CBS2's Zinnia Maldonado spoke with Alinejad on Monday about the terrifying incident.
A man, captured on Ring camera surveillance, showed up to the Brooklyn home of Alinejad on Thursday. He is seen pacing back and forth on her porch before trying to open the door.
"When I kept watching him on video, thinking how many people would have been killed in Brooklyn, New York. If my children were with me, I mean, it's ... it's just, you know, crazy, shocking," Alinejad said.
In his car an AK-47 and dozens of bullets, found in a suitcase by police in the backseat.
"I was shocked that when I saw the picture of the gun, I was like, wait a minute, this gun is being used right now in Ukraine by Russian soldiers. This is Brooklyn. What did I do?" Alinejad said.
Police say the 23-year-old, Khalid Mehdiyev, was pulled over a block from Alinejad's home the same day after failing to stop at a stop sign. He's now facing multiple federal charges, including criminal possession of a machine gun.
Alinejad, an outspoken advocate for women's rights, has been critical of the Islamic Republic and believes she was targeted for her work, Maldonado reported.
"I don't know anything about the person, but I know the Islamic Republic. I know that my first enemy is the Islamic Republic," Alinejad said. "Imagine if the guy had opened fire. Who knows how many of my neighbors would have been killed?"
Just last year, federal authorities reported Alinejad was the target of an international kidnapping plot, allegedly connected to the Islamic Republic.
Moving forward, she said she hopes incidents like this one make those in the White House keep a closer eye on the Iranian government.
"It is important that I see this man is behind the bar, but this is not only him. These ideas should be stopped by the American government. My crime is just giving voice to the voiceless people inside Iran," Alinejad said.