Former child soldiers of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) have recently brought up a pretty crucial issue about the MEK’s fraudulent techniques to raise funds through children’s social benefits in European and North American countries. However, this was not the first time that the MEK’s fraud was revealed. It had been already discovered and investigated by security bodies like the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the German Police in 2001.
Several MEK members were arrested and put under investigation at the time. Susan Ghajar Azdanloo, the sister of Maryam Ghajar Azdanloo (Rajavi) was one of those members of the MEK who were arrested or subjected to investigation in December 2001 under a joint FBI/ Cologne Police Department operation.
On November 29, 2004, FBI published a detailed summary of information learned during criminal investigation of the MEK that was at the time a designated foreign terrorist organization. According to the 2004 FBI document, presented to the US Department of Justice, a year after the French Police released Maryam Rajavi, “Los Angeles investigation had determined that the MEK is currently actively involved in planning and executing acts of terrorism. The planning takes place at MEK bases in Iraq and at the Auver Sur Oise location in Paris, France. Los Angeles has consensually recorded numerous telephone calls in which MEK leaders at this French location discuss specific acts of terrorism to include bombings. Joint investigation with the French DST and the German Cologne Police Department has revealed similar findings from French and German wire taps.”
Beginning with a brief history of the group’s criminal activities, the FBI reported that its investigation had determined that the MEK was very active in fund raising. This was done through a complicated international money laundering operation that uses accounts in Turkey, Germany, France, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
The testimonies of former child soldiers of the MEK such as Atefeh Sebdani, Amir Yaghmai, Ray Torabi who has several times spoke about their fundraising activities under the command of the MEK offices in Canada, US, Sweden and France, confirm FBI’s investigations.
However, the fraud to exploit social benefits of the MEK’s children in western countries was only investigated by the Cologne Police. The report tells of a scheme organized by MEK where the group used children with multiple identities to collect social benefits in Germany, then used the money to purchase large quantities of night vision goggles and GPS systems to improve accuracy of mortar attacks in Tehran.
There were over a hundred of the children of Mujahed parents who had been smuggled by the group agents to Cologne, Germany where they were kept in team houses. Amin Golmaryami, former child soldier of the MEK, and his brothers were among those children. The group used the social salary that the German government allocated to the children while a large number of these children were then smuggled back to Iraq to be recruited in the MEK’s army. The German journalist, Luisa Hommerich from De Ziet investigated the case in December 2021, in an interview with Amin Golmaryami.
Maryam Rajavi’s sister, arrested in the joint FBI/Cologne Police operation
The FBI report offers details about those MEK members who were involved in the group’s fraud scheme in Cologne:
Susan Azdanloo, MEK member. Arrested in December 2001 in Cologne Germany in a joint FBI/Cologne Police Department operation. Involved in a complex fraud scheme involving children and social benefits.
Mohammad Ebrahim Moshiri, MEK member. Current joint FBI/Cologne Police Department subject. Fugitive from December 2001 joint FBI/Cologne Police Department operation. Involved in a complex fraud scheme involving children and social benefits. Was the MEK procurement officer for military equipment. Joint investigation showed that MOSHIRI used money from this fraud scheme to purchase equipment including night vision in Cologne Germany and then shipped it to United Arab Emirates where it was sent to MEK bases in Iraq.
Sepid Majid Salem, MEK supporter/member. Arrested in Cologne Germany during the December 2001 joint FBI/Cologne Police Department operation. A U.S. citizen claimed no affiliation with the MEK even though he was arrested in one of their houses in Cologne. Claimed to be Virginia resident. Provided 4300 Evergreen Lane #302. Annandale, VA 22003, as his last address in the US.
Bita Mahmoudi, MEK member/supporter. Current joint FBI/Cologne Police Department subject. Was arrested in December 2001 in Cologne Germany in a joint FBI/ Cologne Police Department operation. Involved in a complex fraud scheme involving children and social benefits. Recently applied for citizenship in the U.S.
Mohammad Karami, former member of the MEK explains that in 1993 and 1994 a number of charity organizations, schools and orphanages were established by the MEK agents in some western countries. According to him, Susan Ghajar Azdanloo, the younger sister of Maryam Ghajar Azdanloo (Maryam Rajavi), was also on the board of directors of one of these associations and a school that was established in the name of orphaned children, and they received funding from the government for this school.
There were definitely many other MEK agents who were involved in similar fraud schemes to confiscate social benefits of MEK children in other western countries including Sweden where Atefeh Sebdani and her brothers and a large number of other children were settled under an MEK fostering system. After the release of Atefeh Sebdani’s autobiography, the Swedish human rights and child care bodies were criticized for being so inconsiderate about such cases.
Mazda Parsi