Iranian Captain Faces U.S. Charges in Murder of American Educator

The U.S. Justice Department has charged a captain in Iran's Revolutionary Guards for the 2022 murder of American Stephen Troell in Iraq. Mohammad Reza Nouri allegedly plotted the attack in retaliation for a U.S. drone strike. Nouri is facing multiple charges, with a trial pending in U.S. court.

The U.S. Justice Department announced charges against Mohammad Reza Nouri, a captain in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, for murder and terrorism offenses related to the 2022 death of American Stephen Troell in Iraq.

Nouri, 36, allegedly played a key role in orchestrating the attack on Troell, 45, an educator at an English language institute in Baghdad. The alleged motive was retaliation for the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, a top commander of the Revolutionary Guards.

The Department of Justice asserts that Nouri's actions, which included gathering personal intel and recruiting operatives, culminated in Troell's murder on November 7, 2022. Nouri, already imprisoned in Iraq, faces eight U.S. charges. He remains in custody alongside four Iraqi nationals sentenced to life for Troell's murder.

(With inputs from agencies.)