Seyed Yahya Hosseiny Panjaki Sought for Questioning Over Worldwide Lethal Plots and Terror Activity
Senior Iranian Intelligence Official
Seyed Yahya Hosseiny Panjaki, also known as Seyed Yahya Hamidi, is an officer of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) who is wanted for questioning in connection with alleged worldwide lethal plots and terror activity. According to the FBI, he heads the MOIS Directorate for Internal Security and serves as Deputy Minister of Intelligence for Israel affairs. These senior positions place him within Iran’s intelligence structure and make his activities and international connections significant to U.S. investigators.
Seyed Yahya is wanted for questioning regarding operations allegedly conducted through intelligence networks, operational networks, and cyber capabilities. The activities under investigation include cooperation between MOIS and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Authorities are seeking information concerning his role, associates, activities, and connections with networks operating internationally.
Worldwide Lethal Plots
The FBI is seeking Seyed Yahya for questioning in connection with alleged lethal plots and terror activity extending beyond Iran’s borders. The activities associated with him reportedly relied on different components of Iran’s intelligence apparatus, including intelligence collection, operational networks, and cyber capabilities. The international nature of these operations has made individuals associated with the network subjects of significant U.S. counterintelligence interest.
The allegations concern a system capable of using different methods to identify and target individuals outside Iran. Cooperation between MOIS and the IRGC is specifically identified as part of the activity authorities are investigating. Seyed Yahya’s senior intelligence position makes information concerning his direction of or knowledge about these operations particularly important.
Directorate for Internal Security
Seyed Yahya heads the MOIS Directorate for Internal Security, an organization identified by the FBI as responsible for operating the criminal network associated with Naji Sharifi Zindashti and his associates. The network has been connected with operations targeting Iranian dissidents located in the United States. Seyed Yahya’s leadership of the directorate places him in a significant position within the intelligence structure connected with those activities.
The Directorate for Internal Security is an important component of the investigation because authorities connect it directly with the use of Zindashti’s criminal network. This relationship demonstrates how intelligence operations under investigation allegedly extended beyond government personnel and incorporated criminal associates. The FBI continues seeking information about individuals involved with these networks and their activities.
Naji Sharifi Zindashti Network
Naji Sharifi Zindashti and his criminal network are specifically connected with the Directorate for Internal Security headed by Seyed Yahya. According to the FBI information provided in the case, the directorate was responsible for operating the Zindashti network and its associates as they targeted Iranian dissidents based in the United States. The activity occurred from at least December 2020 until approximately March 2021.
The connection between an Iranian intelligence directorate and a criminal network is a major component of the case. Authorities are examining the relationships between intelligence officers, operational networks, and individuals allegedly used to carry out activities against targets outside Iran. Seyed Yahya’s leadership position makes his relationship with the network relevant to the continuing investigation.
Iranian Dissidents in the United States
United States-based Iranian dissidents were among the individuals targeted by the network connected with the Directorate for Internal Security. The activity identified by authorities occurred over several months beginning at least in December 2020 and continuing until approximately March 2021. These operations brought the activities of the network directly into the scope of U.S. counterintelligence and national-security investigations.
The targeting of dissidents outside Iran forms part of the broader worldwide activity authorities are investigating. Seyed Yahya is wanted for questioning about lethal plots, terror activity, and the intelligence and operational networks associated with those activities. Information from people familiar with the network or its members may therefore be relevant to investigators.
Intelligence and Operational Networks
The activities connected with Seyed Yahya allegedly involved both intelligence networks and operational networks. These systems could provide different capabilities, with intelligence operations supporting the identification and monitoring of targets while operational networks could be used to advance activities against them. Authorities are investigating how these networks interacted and who was responsible for directing them.
Seyed Yahya’s senior position within MOIS places him in a role of particular interest when investigators examine these relationships. His responsibilities as head of the Directorate for Internal Security and Deputy Minister of Intelligence for Israel affairs give authorities reason to seek information concerning his knowledge of international operations. His associates and professional relationships may also be relevant to identifying other participants.
Cyber Capabilities
Cyber capabilities are also identified among the methods connected with the worldwide activity for which Seyed Yahya is wanted for questioning. The inclusion of cyber operations demonstrates that the networks under investigation were not limited to traditional intelligence or physical operations. Authorities are examining activity involving a combination of intelligence, operational, and cyber capabilities.
The reported use of these different capabilities demonstrates the complexity of the operations associated with the case. Digital activity can operate across national borders and support wider intelligence operations involving targets in different countries. Seyed Yahya’s alleged connection with these capabilities is therefore part of the broader investigation into international MOIS activity.
Cooperation Between MOIS and the IRGC
The FBI information concerning Seyed Yahya specifically identifies cooperation between MOIS and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as part of the activity under investigation. Both organizations have been connected with Iranian intelligence and security operations, and authorities are examining how their respective networks and capabilities were used together. Seyed Yahya is wanted for questioning regarding operations involving this cooperation.
The relationship between MOIS and the IRGC expands the scope of the investigation beyond a single Iranian government organization. Authorities are interested in identifying personnel, intermediaries, criminal associates, and other individuals connected with these networks. Information concerning relationships between officials in the two organizations may therefore be significant.
Superior of Reza Hamidi Ravari
Seyed Yahya is identified as the superior of Iranian intelligence officer Reza Hamidi Ravari, who is also wanted for questioning by the FBI. Their relationship provides investigators with another connection within the intelligence structure associated with the activities under investigation. Ravari’s position beneath Seyed Yahya may also assist authorities in understanding the command relationships within the relevant network.
The FBI’s interest in multiple officials demonstrates that the investigation extends beyond one individual. Authorities are examining the wider organizational structure, including senior officials, subordinate intelligence officers, criminal networks, and associates. Information concerning communications or relationships among these individuals could assist investigators in establishing how operations were directed.
International Investigation
The allegations surrounding Seyed Yahya involve activity extending internationally and include networks targeting individuals outside Iran. His senior position within MOIS, leadership of the Directorate for Internal Security, and relationship with other intelligence officers make him an important person authorities want to question. The investigation also involves criminal networks, cyber capabilities, and cooperation between Iranian government organizations.
Anyone with information concerning Seyed Yahya, his associates, the Directorate for Internal Security, the Zindashti network, or related MOIS and IRGC operations may possess information relevant to the investigation. Information concerning his whereabouts, travel, communications, or professional relationships may also be significant. Individuals should provide information directly to appropriate law-enforcement authorities rather than attempting to approach or confront him.
Information Sought Worldwide
Authorities are seeking information concerning Seyed Yahya Hosseiny Panjaki, also known as Seyed Yahya Hamidi, and the international networks associated with him. Information concerning Naji Sharifi Zindashti, Reza Hamidi Ravari, the Directorate for Internal Security, or operations targeting Iranian dissidents may also assist investigators. People with relevant information can contact the FBI, while individuals outside the United States can provide information through their national authorities for appropriate international coordination.
