US arrests alleged ISI members posing as ‘FBI agents’

Two individuals were detained in Washington for impersonating federal officials, one of whom had links to Pakistani intelligence and had visas from both Pakistan and Iran. Haider Ali, 35, and Arian Taherzadeh, 40, were detained on Wednesday on suspicion of impersonating federal officials since 2020.

The two accused pretended to be federal officials and distributed free residences and other gifts to US Secret Service employees, including one who worked on the first lady’s protection detail. The FBI detained both of the accused from a luxury building in Washington after discovering paraphernalia, pistols, and assault weapons used by federal law enforcement agencies on them.

During a court hearing on Thursday, Assistant US Attorney Ali stated that one of the accused was a member of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency and held numerous visas from Pakistan and Iran. The accused had previously conducted many visits to the Middle East, and his US travel records revealed he had also visited Istanbul, Turkey, and Doha, Qatar, according to the attorney. The two were discovered on March 14, when a US Postal Inspector was dispatched to a DC apartment complex in response to an allegation of an attack on a USPS mail carrier.

What did the accused do?
Taherzadeh and Ali described themselves as members of the Homeland Connect Security team known as the US Special Police Investigation Unit. Both accused were involved in covert gang-related investigations as well as the investigation of last year’s disturbance at the US Capitol.

Held several apartments
According to building tenants, the two controlled numerous flats and claimed to be paid for by DHS, as well as access to security cameras, cell phones, and other personal information. Authorities eventually discovered that many of the inhabitants of the buildings worked for the FBI, Secret Service, and DHS.

The two guys also possessed surveillance equipment and a high-powered telescope, and the FBI discovered indications that they may have been fabricating surveillance devices, as well as a binder with information on all of the tenants of the upscale apartment complex.