Iranian intelligence officials indicted in attempted kidnapping of U.S.-based journalist The government in Tehran allegedly directed the state actors to plot the abduction and conduct surveillance on American soil. Four Iranian intelligence officials were indicted on Tuesday on charges of conspiring to kidnap a Brooklyn-based journalist, according to a release from the Department of Justice. | Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo Link Copied Four Iranian intelligence officials were indicted on Tuesday on charges of conspiring to kidnap a Brooklyn-based journalist, according to a release from the Department of Justice. The indictment, unsealed by a New York federal court, alleges the four defendants planned to kidnap the journalist of Iranian origin “for mobilizing public opinion in Iran and around the world to bring about changes to the regime’s laws and practices,” the Justice Department release says.