US Justice Department charges five alleged Russian agents in plot to kill dissident in Washington
The Department of Justice unsealed charges against five men accused of working for Russian intelligence to surveil and assassinate a Russian dissident believed to be living near Washington, D.C.
Federal prosecutors disclosed that five individuals, alleged to be operatives of Russian intelligence, were indicted for a scheme to monitor and murder a prominent Russian dissident in the Washington, D.C. area. The indictment alleges the conspirators planned to hire a hit man and conduct surveillance on the target. Officials said the plot is unusually bold, reflecting tactics Russia has employed in Europe. The case marks a rare instance of an alleged foreign-state-directed assassination attempt on U.S. soil.
Why it matters
It shows a possible Russian-backed assassination attempt on U.S. soil, raising national security concerns.
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