Clear as mud, that’s how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) imposter caper has progressed through the arrest, and multi-day detention hearings of Arian Taherzadeh and Haider Ali. While the U.S. Attorneys’ office produced additional witnesses and pleaded with the magistrate that the two should not be released due to the risk of fleeing, the court decided otherwise.
The Washington Post reported how Judge Harvey admonished the government attorneys, “The federal government has proffered zero evidence the defendants intended to infiltrate the Secret Service for a nefarious purpose, or even that they specifically targeted the Secret Service. At this point, there has been no showing that national security information was in fact compromised.” That said, the judge did opine that he believed there was sufficient evidence to convict on the charged offense, impersonating a federal officer.
As it currently stands, Taherzadeh and Ali had an employer/employee relationship, with the two taking part in what can only be described as high-stakes Secret Squirrel cosplay, with national security implications.
The duo were released to the custody of family members, outfitted with GPS monitors, and ordered to turn-in passports, not to attempt to acquire a passport, stay away from embassies and airports, the apartment complex, where the incident took place, and each other. Additionally, they are to reach out to pretrial services and detail “every contact with law enforcement personnel, including arrests, questioning, or traffic stops.”
Why the FBI was ham-handed
During the court proceedings, we learned how the FBI was forced to accelerate the arrest of the two imposters, due to Taherzadeh’s company, USSP, having received an email from the Secret Service earlier in the week. Apparently, there was a lack of inter-government coordination between DHS/USSS and the FBI, with multiple investigations taking place at the same time. Thus, the prosecutors are sitting in Judge Harvey’s courtroom light on evidence.
The apartments were part of the scam
In addition, the multiple apartments which were occupied (and gifted) by Taherzadeh were also part of a con, as the building management, Congressional Square Owner won a lawsuit in February 2022 against United States Special Police who was ordered to pay $222,869.88. Given both Taherzadeh and Ali claimed to lack funds and requested public defendants, the likelihood of collecting the back rent is somewhere between slim and none.
So MANY Questions remain
Was this perhaps the first stage of a broader intelligence operation?
To this jaded eye, this has the hallmarks of a multi-step, daisy-chain, nation state-driven intelligence operation.
It is not beyond the pale for the two to be unwitting of the end goal and were told to become friends with as many in the complex as they could, with emphasis on the USSS. The unstated goal being to compromise the ethics of targeted individuals. Thus, with these individuals compromised, they are tee’d up for future contact by a nation-state that has this leverage in its hip pocket. The most important national security question being: “Which nation is the sponsor?”
The next most important national security question then is: “What is the end goal?”
Both Ali and Taherzadeh are U.S. citizens. Ali, who was born in Pakistan and emigrated as a child with his family to the U.S., traveled to Pakistan and then Iran for “religious purposes” some years ago. While one may wish to connect this travel with Iranian or Pakistani intelligence, no evidence has been developed to suggest such is the case. That said, the fact that Iran has vowed revenge against the U.S. for the killing of IRGC General Soleimani in January 2020 brings to the forefront the real need to delve deeply into the contacts and communications of Ali and Taherzadeh over the course of the past two years.
As detailed previously, they were targeting and ingratiating themselves with various government employees in DHS, USSS, U.S. Navy, intel, and defense community. Why? What information is on the computers, hard drives, and servers which were seized by the government?
Witnesses claimed they saw the computer present a DHS log-in screen. The government seized Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card making machine. What type of cards were made, and to impersonate which organizations? When and how were the arms, police paraphernalia, and other items used as part of their scheme purchased, and what were the sources of their money?
The USSS officers who failed to report the contact are currently suspended, but why were they targeted? Are there others who were also targeted? What caused them to compromise their ethics? What information was elicited from these officers by Taherzadeh or Ali?
While one remains hopeful that instincts are off, and this is simply a high-level cosplay by the two, we likely won’t know more until after the preliminary hearing which is scheduled for April 27, when we may expect additional charges will be levied and some of the foregoing questions to be answered.
