The distraught Los Angeles tenant of the property owned by the niece of Iranian terror mastermind Gen. Qasem Soleimani said he now realizes that mother and daughter had been on Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s radar for some time before agents swooped into the quiet Tujunga home and whisked them away.
Hamida Soleimani Afshar, 47, and her daughter, Sarinsadat Hosseini, 25, were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Friday, and their green cards were revoked for their ties to the Iranian regime.
Afshar has celebrated attacks on American soldiers and military facilities, praised Iran’s supreme leader, called America “the Great Satan,” and expressed support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is designated a terrorist organization, according to the State Department.
Piano instructor Halasios Bradford, 50, who rents a single-storey property owned by Afshar, said the women were detained in dramatic scenes at around 5pm on Friday. He said ICE was active on the streets leading up to the arrests.
Bradford said he was driving back to the property during the raid and arrived to find the street blocked off by ICE vehicles and three LAPD patrol cars.
“It was crazy to see what happened. I saw three LAPD patrol cars and one or two from ICE,” he told the newspaper.
“I never saw women being taken away.”
A visit to the home by The Post on Saturday revealed that Afshar was living in a small apartment unit behind the two-bedroom, two-bathroom main house that Bradford is renting. She purchased the Plainview Avenue property for $505,000 in 2021.
Photos from the scene offer a glimpse into the women’s carefully curated lifestyle in Los Angeles.
Inside her modest home, about 20 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, there was a ring light for selfies and a full-figured mannequin to hang her designer clothes.
She also drove a black Tesla, which on Saturday was filled with luxury goods, including a Miss Dior bag, some Hermes pillows, a Sephora makeup bag, and another gray leather handbag in the front passenger’s footwell.
Some of the items inside the car bore writings in Arabic, while some parking tickets were scattered inside.
Friday was the first time Bradford met Hosseini in person.
He said the two women were at the property for a scheduled city of Los Angeles inspection of the ADU, which explains why they were there when ICE arrived.
Bradford added that Hosseini’s friend was also present during the raid. He told Bradford that he and Hosseini were driving out of the house when ICE intercepted them, demanding to know where Afshar was.
While Afshar lived in an apartment unit behind the main house, Hosseini managed the rental affairs remotely, Bradford said.
He described Afshar as “crazy” and behaving strangely.
“This was the first time I met Al-Husseini,” he said. “The mother seemed kind of crazy. She said she was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.”
Outside the main house, old mattresses and furniture from previous tenants were visible.
The house was listed for rent on Zillow, and he signed the lease online with Hosseini because her mother, Afshar, does not speak English well, Bradford said.
He moved in on March 21, and refused to disclose the amount he was paying.
Both mother and daughter have created curated online personas showcasing the glamorous lifestyles of Los Angeles, complete with designer goods and jet-setting activities.
In Instagram photos, Hosseini looked poised and camera-ready, her long dark hair framing a serene face as she cradled a small, fluffy dog over a dark coat.
Her wardrobe ranged from structured black corsets with delicate pink skirts and oversized sunglasses to more casual, tailored ensembles.
Other luxury icons included images placed alongside helicopters and designer accessories, projecting an image ready to take on a jet set far from the humble suburban neighbourhood.
Afshar entered the United States on a tourist visa in 2015, was granted asylum in 2019, and became a green card holder in 2021.
Her daughter arrived in 2021 on a student visa and received her green card in 2023.
Both have traveled to Iran several times, raising red flags with US authorities.
Lauren Pace, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, stressed the seriousness of the cancellation. “It is an honor to be granted a green card to live in the United States of America. If we have reason to believe that a green card holder poses a threat to the United States, the green card will be revoked.”
The arrest of Afshar and Hosseini follows similar actions against other figures linked to the Iranian regime in the United States, highlighting the continued vigilance against threats linked to Qassem Soleimani and his network.