New details have emerged in the case of two men who allegedly pretended to be internal security agents who betrayed their neighbors, including a secret service agent tasked with protecting First Lady Jill Biden.
The men, Aryan Taherzade, 40, and Haider Ali, 35, were arrested earlier this week. Their motives remain unclear; Prosecutors who supported their pre-trial detention suggested that they had ties to foreign governments.
Court records state that no one worked in the United States government. One, Taherzade, was banned from possessing a gun because of a previous conviction for domestic violence; He pleaded guilty nearly ten years ago for attempting to strangle his wife.
However, the couple, at first glance, were known as Homeland Security agents of their neighbors in Washington, DC, in a residential building where they rented several units and where many of the residents were federally affiliated. law enforcement and military. .
Court documents filed earlier this week state that Taherzade “spoke openly about his job” as a potential Homeland Security agent, despite his claims to be part of a secret task force.
The men will take an individual to “serve on their task force,” telling the man that he needs to fire an airsoft rifle so Taherzade can assess his reaction and tolerance to pain. The man told lawmakers that Ali was also present when he let him be shot.
One of the neighbors, a secret service agent charged with guarding the first lady, said Taherzade was “told he was a‘ boy on the go ’if a resident needed something in the building. ” Prosecutors say Taherzade bought the agent a $ 2,000 assault rifle.
He and Ali were accused of vandalizing gifts for neighbors, giving free apartments to two secret service agents for about a year, allowing the secret service agent’s wife to use the alleged car. government officials and distribution of iPhones and more. Electronics.
On Monday, the secret services took four officers on administrative leave.
Authorities found that Taherzade and Ali had Sig Sauer 229 and Glock 19 – guns typically provided by federal law enforcement – several gun safes and gun parts. They discovered a surveillance device, 30 hard drives and a machine for making and programming personal identification cards with several blank cards with integrated chips.
Prosecutors said prosecutors said in court documents filed Friday that the two men were “just not playing dress up.”
Taherzade also owns “rifle ammunition, tactical tools and storage equipment, police uniforms and patches, handheld radios, high-end drones, gas masks, handcuffs, lightning rods, destruction equipment and a gun cleaning kit .. Ultraviolet flashlight, RF-GS k18, used to search for hidden cameras, microphones and RF transmitters (e.g. car locators), dual module computer server, encrypted portable hard drive drive, antenna and built-in gun case hidden underneath. The table. “
Taherzade told law enforcement that Ali was funding most of their operations but did not know where the money came from, according to court documents. Taherzadeh’s private security firm, U.S. Special Police LLC, allegedly used business cards that looked “very similar” to secret service business cards.
Prosecutors said the expired passport still held by Ali indicated that he had visited Iran, Pakistan and Egypt and that he allegedly had links to Pakistan’s intelligence services, which have not been confirmed.
The alleged actions of Taherzade and Ali were only revealed due to the attack on a U.S. Postal Service employee who was clearly unrelated to their apartment. Some of their neighbors told investigators they were working on homeland security, which led to an investigation that was later taken over by the FBI.
Source: Huffpost
