FBI thwarted a Russian intelligence scheme aimed at a dissident in Washington, unveiling a Manhattan federal court indictment against five suspects.
Five people have been charged after a Manhattan federal court unsealed an indictment alleging that a Russian intelligence network had been recruiting people in the US and elsewhere since at least 2024 to surveil and kill Russian dissidents, according to an Associated Press report.
The Brooklyn resident was promised $1,000 and $1,500 for carrying out the surveillance assignments.
The alleged US operation came to light this summer, when members of the network recruited a Venezuelan citizen living in Brooklyn to surveil and murder the dissident, according to the indictment cited by AP. The recruit was allegedly sent to two locations linked to the intended victim and given explicit instructions on how to conduct surveillance. After conducting the surveillance, the person allegedly provided multiple photographs and videos of locations associated with the intended victim to one of the alleged network members.
The DOJ said all five face a conspiracy charge related to financing terrorism, while Yuri Khrameev, Suarez and Castro also face a conspiracy charge related to murder for hire. The Justice Department said all five defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court. The FBI’s New York Counterintelligence Division led the investigation, with significant assistance from the Washington Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations. The charges are allegations contained in an indictment.