ICE Arrests 11 Iranian Nationals, Including Suspected Terrorist, Across US

Targeted Operations Nationwide

• 🎯 ICE agents conducted targeted operations across nine cities and eight states nationwide, arresting 11 Iranian foreign nationals since Sunday.
• 🚨 Among those arrested was a man listed on the US known or suspected terrorist list, with alleged ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah.

Individuals Apprehended and Their Allegations

• 🗓️ Yousef May Roano, identified as a former IRGC member with admitted connections to Hezbollah, was arrested in Mississippi after living illegally in the US for nearly eight years and allegedly lying on a visa application.
• 🛡️ Saheli, another former IRGC member, was encountered by agents in Minnesota and is in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
• criminal convictions, including grand larceny, drug, and firearm possessions.
• 🎖️ Ribbar Karimi was found with an Islamic Republic of Iran Army identification card and is alleged to have served as an Iranian sniper between 2018 and 2021.

Arrest of US Citizen and Harboring Charges

• 👩‍⚖️ In Arizona, US citizen Lynette Veranian was arrested on federal charges of threatening a law enforcement officer and harboring an illegal alien.
• 🔫 She allegedly threatened to shoot ICE officials if they entered her home to arrest a man she was harboring.

Heightened Threat Environment Context

• ⚠️ The arrests occurred as the Department of Homeland Security warned of a heightened threat environment in the US, activated after US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.
• 🔍 While officials caution about potential retaliation and homegrown extremism, these arrests are not linked to a specific credible terrorism plot.
• ⚖️ The arrested individuals are accused of criminal violations beyond simply being in the US illegally, and ICE states they represent a threat to public safety.