NEW YORK: US authorities on Monday announced the arrest of two Iranian nationals on charges of export violations linked to a drone strike that killed three US soldiers.
More than 40 other military personnel were injured in a January drone strike on a Jordanian military base near the Syrian border, the Pentagon said at the time of the incident.
Two men, one Iranian and the other an American-born Iranian, allegedly met to ship ship parts to Iran that were used in the drones that carried out the attack.
“When we talk about the dangers of American technologies falling into dangerous hands, we often refer to the perceived threat,” said Massachusetts United States Attorney Joshua Levy.
“Unfortunately, in this situation, we are not speculating, as alleged in this criminal complaint, about 11 months ago as a result of the serious potential harm caused by the leaking of U.S. technology abroad. ”
Mohammad Abedin Najafabadi was arrested by the FBI in Italy and is being sought by US authorities for extradition after he allegedly bought cutting-edge US-made navigation technology in violation of export laws.
Iranian-American Mehdi Sadeghi works for an American company that makes precision navigation aids and allegedly uses a Swiss shell company to ship restricted goods from his firm to Iran in collusion with Abedin Najafabadi. He was arrested in Massachusetts.
“We believe the two men illegally conspired to export sensitive technology to Iran from a Massachusetts-based semiconductor manufacturer that owned a front company in Switzerland owned by Abedini,” the FBI said. IK Special Agent in Charge Judy Cohen said, using the short name Abedin Najafabadi.
“Abdini also owns an Iranian company that makes navigation systems for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, a designated foreign terrorist organization.
“The FBI analyzed the drone that killed three American soldiers (in Jordan), and found that the navigation system used in the deadly attack was allegedly developed by Abedini’s company.”
About 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel were stationed at the base when the attack occurred, the Pentagon said in a statement at the time.
“The three soldiers were killed when a one-way unmanned aerial system impacted their container housing units,” he said, describing the apparently exploding drone.