ICE Arrests 11 Iranians Amid Growing Fears of Terror Sleeper Cells in U.S.
by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – In a sweeping nationwide operation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 11 Iranian nationals suspected of having terrorist affiliations or criminal histories while living illegally in the United States. One U.S. citizen was also taken into custody after allegedly threatening ICE agents and harboring a fugitive.
The arrests spanned eight states and targeted individuals linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hezbollah, and the Iranian military. Among the most notable was Ribvar Karimi, a former Iranian army sniper, apprehended in Locust, Alabama. Karimi entered the U.S. in October 2024 on a K-1 fiancé visa but failed to adjust his status, making him removable. At the time of his arrest, he carried an Iranian military ID.
In St. Paul, Minnesota, ICE detained Mehran Makari Saheli, a former IRGC member convicted of firearm possession with admitted Hezbollah ties. He had ignored a 2022 deportation order and remained in the U.S. illegally.
Houston officials arrested Behzad Sepehrian Bahary Nejad, a man who entered on a student visa in 2016 and was later ordered removed for domestic abuse. At the time of his arrest, he was carrying a loaded pistol. Another Iranian national, Hamid Reza Bayat, convicted of drug offenses and subject to a 2005 removal order, was also arrested in Houston.
In Arizona, ICE agents arrested Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, convicted of threatening law enforcement and harboring a firearm while in the U.S. illegally. At the same residence, agents arrested U.S. citizen Linet Vartaniann, who allegedly threatened to shoot ICE officers.
ICE also detained individuals in Mississippi, Colorado, New York, and California with offenses ranging from marriage fraud and firearms possession to forgery and practicing law without a license. One detainee, Yousef Mehridehno, was placed on the terrorist watchlist in February after being found living near Jackson, Mississippi.
According to Homeland Security, these arrests demonstrate the agency’s proactive approach under the Trump administration to remove known and suspected terrorists. “We don’t wait until a military operation to execute,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “We proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland.”
Jason Brodsky, policy director for United Against a Nuclear Iran, said the arrests raise serious questions. “Iran has long tried to establish surrogate networks inside the United States,” he warned. “These individuals may be part of a broader network the Islamic Republic sought to use to carry out terrorism.”
Lora Ries, director at the Heritage Foundation, said these arrests prove the necessity of mass deportations. “The Biden administration endangered Americans with its open border policies,” Ries said. “We have no idea who entered this country the last four years or how many are still here.”
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