An Iranian army sniper and a former member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard with ties to Hezbollah are among four individuals arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for immigration violations. The suspects had been living illegally across various U.S. states.
Ribvar Karimi, who served in the Iranian Army from 2018 to 2021, was arrested in Locust Fork, Alabama. He had entered the U.S. legally in October on a K-1 fiancé visa under the Biden administration and married his American partner, Morgan Gardner, in January. However, officials say he failed to adjust his immigration status after marriage, making his stay unlawful. When ICE officers apprehended him, they found his Iranian military ID card in his possession.
His wife, now seven months pregnant, defended him, saying he came to the U.S. for a better life. “The first thing he bought was an American flag,” she told local media, adding that he proudly displayed it despite knowing the risks of deportation.
In Minnesota, ICE agents arrested 56-year-old Mehran Makari Saheli, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard member who admitted to having ties with Hezbollah. Saheli, previously convicted for illegally possessing a firearm, had served over a year in prison. Although a judge ordered his removal in June 2022, he had evaded capture until now.
Also taken into custody was Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, who had been ordered to leave the U.S. 12 years ago. He had a record for threatening a law enforcement officer and illegal firearm possession. ICE arrested him in Tempe, Arizona.
The fourth arrest happened in Texas. Behzad Sepehrian Bahary Nejad, who came to the U.S. on a student visa in 2016, was found armed with a 9mm pistol. In 2017, he was arrested for choking a family member. His wife later obtained a restraining order after he reportedly threatened her and her relatives in Iran.
All four suspects are now in ICE custody and await removal proceedings.
