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Man posed as DHS worker, claimed ties to Pakistani intelligence, prosecutor says
One of two men accused of posing as federal law enforcement employees and ingratiating themselves with Secret Service agents had visas for travel to Iran and Pakistan, and told others that he had ties to Pakistan’s intelligence service, a federal prosecutor alleged Thursday.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rothstein said the government wanted Haider Ali and Arian Taherzadeh — who were arrested Wednesday on charges of impersonating federal law enforcement, specifically with the Department of Homeland Security — held in jail while they await trial, alleging that they posed a flight risk and possessed firearms.
Taherzadeh, 40, and Ali, 35, were charged in what prosecutors described as a ruse that started in February 2020 and ended only after a postal inspector came across the pair in an unrelated case. Federal law enforcement officials did not say what motivated the men or what they wanted in return as they, according to prosecutors, “ingratiated themselves with and infiltrated” Secret Service agents and DHS personnel who lived in their D.C. apartment building. So far, the men are charged only with “false impersonation of a federal officer,” though Rothstein said Thursday that the government would probably add a charge of “conspiracy.”
“We have not verified the accuracy of his claims, but Mr. Ali made claims to witnesses he had ties to ISI, which is the Pakistani intelligence service,” Rothstein said. Ali had three visas for travel to Pakistan and two for travel to Iran, Rothstein said. The Iran visas were from July 2019 to January 2020, the month before his charged conduct began, Rothstein alleged. The prosecutor said that it appeared that Ali entered Iran once, and that his visas to Pakistan were older. The men are U.S. citizens, the prosecutor said
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Rothstein said the government wanted Haider Ali and Arian Taherzadeh — who were arrested Wednesday on charges of impersonating federal law enforcement, specifically with the Department of Homeland Security — held in jail while they await trial, alleging that they posed a flight risk and possessed firearms.
Taherzadeh, 40, and Ali, 35, were charged in what prosecutors described as a ruse that started in February 2020 and ended only after a postal inspector came across the pair in an unrelated case. Federal law enforcement officials did not say what motivated the men or what they wanted in return as they, according to prosecutors, “ingratiated themselves with and infiltrated” Secret Service agents and DHS personnel who lived in their D.C. apartment building. So far, the men are charged only with “false impersonation of a federal officer,” though Rothstein said Thursday that the government would probably add a charge of “conspiracy.”
“We have not verified the accuracy of his claims, but Mr. Ali made claims to witnesses he had ties to ISI, which is the Pakistani intelligence service,” Rothstein said. Ali had three visas for travel to Pakistan and two for travel to Iran, Rothstein said. The Iran visas were from July 2019 to January 2020, the month before his charged conduct began, Rothstein alleged. The prosecutor said that it appeared that Ali entered Iran once, and that his visas to Pakistan were older. The men are U.S. citizens, the prosecutor said
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/04/07/federal-agents-impersonators-secret-service/
If true, this means that the ISI was trying to access the First Lady's security team.