Explosive arrests include terror watchlist suspect and Iranian army sniper carrying military ID – as DHS warns of ‘heightened threat environment’ following bunker buster attacks
Federal agents launched a dramatic nationwide dragnet over the weekend, arresting at least 16 Iranian nationals across America – including a former Revolutionary Guard member with Hezbollah ties and an ex-Iranian army sniper still carrying his military identification.
The explosive security sweep comes as intelligence officials race to monitor potential terror sleeper cells after Donald Trump’s unprecedented bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities, with sources revealing Tehran had threatened to activate domestic terror networks if attacked.
In scenes more reminiscent of a spy thriller than suburban America, ICE agents descended on homes from Minnesota to Mississippi, detaining suspects who’d been hiding in plain sight – some for decades.
The rogues’ gallery of terror
Among those hauled away in handcuffs was Mehran Makari Saheli, 56, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps member who brazenly admitted connections to Hezbollah. Despite being ordered deported in June 2022 under Biden’s watch, he’d been living freely in St Paul, Minnesota.
Even more alarming? Ribvar Karimi, arrested in Alabama, served as an Iranian Army sniper from 2018 to 2021 and was still carrying his Islamic Republic military ID when agents burst through his door. He’d entered America on a fiancé visa just months ago.
Perhaps most chilling was Yousef Mehridehno, nabbed in Mississippi after being added to the terror watchlist in February. The Iranian national had been living illegally in America for nearly eight years after lying on his visa application.
Biden’s border chaos comes home to roost
The arrests have exposed the catastrophic legacy of Joe Biden’s open-border policies, with officials confirming that 729 Iranian nationals who entered illegally during his administration were simply released into communities across America.
We don’t know where those thousand Iranians are,” former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker told reporters. “We missed the opportunity to gather intel by interviewing them. We just simply let them go, which is gross negligence.”
Former acting ICE director Jonathan Fahey didn’t mince words: “All of our adversaries knew we basically had an open border. To the extent they wanted to send people in to spy, to do us harm, they had carte blanche.”
Armed and dangerous
The weekend’s arrests revealed a terrifying arsenal and pattern of violence. Behzad Sepehrian Bahary Nejad was packing a loaded 9mm pistol when agents caught up with him in Houston. His wife had previously told prosecutors he’d tried to strangle her.
In Arizona, when ICE arrived at Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand’s home, they were met with death threats from Linet Vartaniann, a US citizen who warned she’d “shoot ICE officers in the head” if they entered. Both were arrested after agents obtained a search warrant.
Five of those detained had criminal convictions ranging from drug dealing to firearms possession – yet they’d been allowed to remain in America for years.
The terror threat intensifies
The timing couldn’t be more ominous. NBC News revealed Iran had sent Trump a chilling message before Saturday’s strikes, threatening to unleash sleeper cell attacks if America joined Israel’s offensive.
FBI Director Kash Patel has reportedly ramped up surveillance of Hezbollah-linked operatives since Israel’s Operation Rising Lion began, with sources describing round-the-clock monitoring of suspected cells.
There are millions of jihadi sleeper cells in our country thanks to the Democrats’ open border policies,” warned conservative activist Laura Loomer, urging Americans to avoid public gatherings.
From tortilla deliveries to terror watchlists
The arrests paint a disturbing picture of how Iranian operatives have embedded themselves in American communities. Some worked regular jobs, married US citizens, and lived seemingly normal lives while maintaining ties to Tehran’s terror apparatus.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem struck a defiant tone: “We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out – and we are. We don’t wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate.”
But critics fear it’s too little, too late. With an estimated two million “gotaways” who crossed during Biden’s term, and minimal vetting of those released, the true scale of the sleeper cell threat remains unknown.
Cities on edge
The Department of Homeland Security issued a National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin warning of potential attacks by “Iranian-backed or inspired perpetrators,” noting that recent attacks have been “motivated by anti-Semitic or anti-Israel sentiment.
Intelligence officials are particularly concerned about “soft targets” – hospitals in sanctuary cities, shopping centers, and tourist attractions where security is minimal and casualties could be maximized.
As one senior official admitted privately: “We’re playing catch-up after four years of chaos. These arrests are just the tip of the iceberg.”
With Iran vowing revenge and a fragile ceasefire hanging by a thread, Americans are left wondering: How many more sleeper agents are out there, and will ICE find them before it’s too late?
