Two men have been arrested in connection to a drone attack in Jordan that killed three American service members and injured 47 others earlier this year, FBI and law enforcement officials announced on Monday.
Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi, 42, a dual U.S.-Iranian national, was arrested in Massachusetts. Mohammad Abedininajafabadi, also known as Mohammad Abedini, 38, of Tehran, Iran, was arrested in Italy. The FBI is seeking to extradite Abedini to the United States to face justice, according to District Attorney Joshua Levy.
Both men have been charged with conspiring to export sophisticated electronic components from the United States to Iran in violation of U.S. export control and sanctions laws.
Abedini has also been charged with allegedly providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization.
Officials said the two suspects were arrested after FBI specialists, who analyzed the drone used in the deadly attack, traced the drone’s navigation system to an Iranian company operated by Abedini, who relied on technology funneled from the United States by his alleged co-conspirator.
“These charges today underscore that the Department of Justice will not cease in its effort to seek justice for service members who are killed and harmed overseas,” Levy said during Monday’s press conference.
The drone attack targeted the Tower 22 military base in Jordan near the Syrian border on Jan. 28, 2024.
According to the Defense Department, the three soldiers killed in the drone attack were Sgt. William Jerome Rivers of Carrollton, Georgia; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders of Waycross, Georgia; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett of Savannah, Georgia. All three were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore, Georgia.
At the time of the drone attack, President Joe Biden vowed to hold all those responsible accountable “at a time and in a manner of our choosing.” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin pledged to “take necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops, and our interests.”
Iranian-backed militias have struck American military installations in Iraq more than 60 times and in Syria more than 90 times, with a mix of drones, rockets, mortars, and ballistic missiles since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023, after the Hamas terrorist group’s attacks left 1,200 Israelis dead, thousands injured, and more than 250 people abducted.
January’s drone attack was the first targeting American troops in Jordan during the war and the first to result in the loss of American lives.
“Today’s arrests demonstrate that the Justice Department will hold accountable those who enable the Iranian regime to continue to target and kill Americans and undermine the national security of the United States,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement.
“Our message is unmistakable: if you provide support to the Iranian regime’s campaign of terror and violence targeting Americans – we will find you, arrest you, and hold you accountable in a U.S. court, no matter where you are,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said.
