(This story was updated to include additional information.)
BOSTON — Federal authorities arrested a Natick man on Monday after he allegedly sold U.S. technology that was later used in a fatal drone attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. soldiers.
The arrests of Mahdi Mohammed Sadeghi, 42, of 85 Woodland Road, Natick, and Mohammad Abedini in Milan, Italy, are connected to a Jan. 28 attack at a U.S. military base, Tower 22, in Jordan, according to federal authorities. The attack killed three U.S. Army members — Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, Sgt. Breonna Moffett and Sgt. Kennedy Sanders — and injured 47 others.
U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy said during a press conference Monday at the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse that Sadeghi illegally exported “sensitive” technology to terrorist organizations.
“We often cite hypothetical risks when we talk about the danger of American technology getting into dangerous hands,” Levy said. “Unfortunately, in this situation we are not speculating. As alleged in this criminal complaint, the grave potential damage from the leak of American technology overseas came to fruition.”
U.S. attorney says suspect’s company in Iran has ties to terrorist groups
Authorities were able to trace the drone used in the attack to Abedini’s company in Iran, which Levy said has ties to terrorist organizations. Levy said authorities plan to seeking his extradition to Boston.
Levy said the two men had worked together since 2016 to violate laws designed to keep technology that had military applications from being illegally exported. Items leaked included materials used in unmanned drones.
According to his LinkedIn page, Sadeghi worked for Analog Devices Inc., a Wilmington-based maker of integrated circuits, software and subsystems products for the semiconductor industry.
Jodi Cohen, FBI special agent in charge of the Boston FBI office, said the FBI arrested Sadeghi without incident about 2 p.m. Monday at his home. She said Sadeghi was “a naturalized U.S. citizen living in Natick who we believe abandoned this country that took him to help strengthen the arsenal of weapons for one of world’s most infamous state sponsors of terrorism.”
Both Sadeghi and Abedini are charged with conspiring to illegally export sensitive technology. Abedini is also charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization resulting in death.
Levy said he hopes the arrests, in some way, help the families and loved ones for those killed and injured in the attack.
“As a son of a combat veteran, I humbly hope today’s charges bring some measure of justice and accountability to those families,” he said.
During his initial appearance Monday in U.S. District Court in Boston, Sadeghi was ordered held without bail pending a detention hearing on Dec. 27.
Norman Miller can be reached at 508-626-3823 or nmiller@wickedlocal.com. For up-to-date public safety news, follow him on X @Norman_MillerMW or on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerCrime.
