Maryville, TN – An Iranian national, Mohammad Reza Nouri, has been charged with orchestrating the 2022 murder of Stephen Troell, an American aid worker from Knoxville, Tennessee. Nouri, 36, is accused of working with a terrorist group linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which the United States designated as a terrorist organization in 2019. According to unsealed court documents, Nouri is alleged to have meticulously planned Troell’s killing, gathering intelligence on the victim’s daily routines and habits before executing the attack.
Troell, who had been teaching English in Iraq, was employed through Temple Baptist Church in Knoxville and worked at an English-language institute in Baghdad. Prosecutors claim Nouri developed an extensive file on Troell, which included detailed surveillance information and a PowerPoint presentation featuring the names and personal details of 12 U.S. nationals, including Troell. Nouri reportedly believed Troell was working as either an American or Israeli intelligence agent, and, with this assumption, he compiled intelligence reports for the IRGC.
Court documents revealed that Nouri worked with a co-conspirator and recruited a group of individuals to carry out the murder. On November 7, 2022, the armed group ambushed Troell and his wife as they were driving home from work. The attackers blocked the vehicle, approached Troell’s side of the car, and shot him with an assault rifle. The attack lasted approximately 20 seconds. Afterward, Nouri coordinated the escape of the recruits involved, ensuring they safely rendezvoused and celebrated the successful mission.
Following the murder, Nouri left Iraq for Iran. Before his departure, he reportedly visited a religious site associated with mourning the death of Qasem Soleimani, a senior IRGC commander killed in a U.S. airstrike in 2020. Nouri’s departure came as his co-conspirator and several recruits also fled to Iran, where they were reportedly told by Nouri and another IRGC official that Troell had been a threat to Islam and was deserving of death for allegedly spreading Jewish beliefs in Iraq.
Nouri was arrested by Iraqi authorities in March 2023 and convicted in an Iraqi court. He remains in custody in Iraq, facing charges related to his role in aiding a terrorist organization and the murder of a U.S. national. If convicted, Nouri faces the possibility of the death penalty. During an interview with Iraqi authorities after his arrest, Nouri allegedly admitted to being an IRGC captain tasked with gathering intelligence on Troell, whom he believed was a spy.
The murder of Troell has further highlighted the ongoing threats posed by the IRGC and its affiliates, especially against U.S. citizens abroad. Since the U.S. designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization in 2019, the group has been implicated in numerous attacks outside Iran, targeting individuals and interests tied to the United States.
