Russian intelligence plot to commit murder for hire in the US was foiled by the FBI
WASHINGTON (7News) — Five people were charged in a Russian intelligence plot centered around financial terrorism and murders for hire in the United States and across the globe, according to the DOJ.
The Department of Justice released information about the plot, which they said began in at least 2024 and involved a network of people working for the Russian Federation’s intelligence services (RIS).
The DOJ said the RIS Network is accused of carrying out or conspiring in schemes globally. One of the most notable among their alleged crimes was the recruitment of a US resident whom the RIS wanted to surveil and murder a “prominent Russian dissident.” In documents released by the DOJ, two of the RIS network members offered to pay the recruited hitman to “eliminate” or “disappear” the target.
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Other terrorist plots include more murders for hire and financial terrorism across the world, in what officials said were against targets that were aligned in some way with Ukraine, including the dissident who the RIS had wanted to take out on American soil.
“Foreign governments will not be allowed to silence critics, violate our laws, or threaten the freedoms of people in America,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “The FBI will defend free speech and confront transnational repression wherever it threatens our homeland.”
The five people charged in connection with the RIS plots are still at large. The DOJ said three of them are high-ranking RIS Network members, including two Russian nationals and a Cuban national living in Russia. Two other members are from Venezuela and Cuba, the DOJ said.
The latest murder for hire attempt was foiled by the FBI, according to Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Darren B. Cox.
“When this threat was identified, the Washington Field Office and our partners moved quickly to disrupt the plot and hold the Russian government accountable for its actions,” Cox said. “Our message is clear: any foreign intelligence service that attempts to direct violence inside the United States will face an unrelenting and coordinated response from the FBI and our partners to protect the homeland.”
You can read the full DOJ release and the unsealed indictment HERE.