ICE Arrests Iranian Army Sniper, Hezbollah-Linked Suspects in U.S. Raids

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have arrested multiple undocumented migrants, including an Iranian army sniper and individuals linked to Hezbollah, in nationwide enforcement operations.

One of the key arrests took place in rural Locust Fork, Alabama, where agents apprehended Ribvar Karimi, a former Iranian army sniper who served from 2018 to 2021. Karimi, who entered the U.S. on a K-1 fiancé visa under the Biden administration last October, was living with his American wife, Morgan Gardner.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Karimi was found with an Islamic Republic of Iran Army identification card. Though he legally entered the country, officials say he failed to adjust his immigration status after marrying Gardner in January, making his continued stay unlawful.

His wife, who is seven months pregnant, defended him:

“This man loves America. The first thing he bought when he got here was an American flag,” Gardner told local media. “If he had bad intentions, he wouldn’t be walking around with that flag knowing he could be deported.”

In a separate operation, ICE agents arrested Mehran Makari Saheli, 56, in Minnesota. He is a convicted felon and former member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with reported ties to Hezbollah. Saheli had previously served 15 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He had been under a deportation order since June 2022 but evaded authorities until now.

Also detained was Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, arrested in Tempe, Arizona. He had been ordered removed from the U.S. in 2012 and has prior convictions, including threatening a law enforcement officer and illegal firearm possession. Eidivand entered the country through the southern border in 2012.

In Texas, ICE arrested Behzad Sepehrian Bahary Nejad, a former student visa holder who entered the U.S. in 2016. He was arrested in 2017 for assaulting a family member and had a restraining order filed against him by his wife, who claimed he made threats against her and her family in Iran.

All four individuals are now in ICE custody and are pending removal proceedings.