Nevada’s Sunset Station Stabbing Revenge for Iranian General’s Death, Cops Reveal

Posted on: March 13, 2022, 07:11h. 

Last updated on: March 13, 2022, 11:15h.

A woman remained in custody today a week after she allegedly twice stabbed a blindfolded man in the neck while the two were having sex at Henderson, Nevada’s Sunset Station Hotel and Casino. She later told authorities the knifing was in retaliation for a 2020 US military drone strike which killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.

Nika Nikoubin
Nika Nikoubin, 21, in a mug shot, pictured above. She was arrested for attempted murder and other charges after allegedly stabbing a man in the neck while the two were having sex in a Henderson, Nev. casino-hotel. (Image: Henderson Police Department)

The man and woman had met online. On March 5, they went to the casino-hotel. They went up to a 14th floor room, and while the duo was intimate, Nika Nikoubin, 21, put a blindfold on the unnamed man, police said.

Nikoubin then turned the lights off. She pulled a knife from a pocketbook and a short time later, the man “felt a pain on the side of his neck,” reported KLAS, a local TV station.

His injuries did not appear to be life threatening, but police did not reveal his current physical condition.

Once he felt the wound, the man pushed the woman away, The Times of Israel, a national Israeli publication, reported. He then ran away from the hotel room. He called local police.

He told cops he had first met Nikoubin through a dating app. It was later revealed that the site was Plenty of Fish, KLAS reported.

Nikoubin also quickly ran out of the hotel room after the stabbing, the police report said.  She admitted to a hotel employee she had stabbed someone, the report adds.

Later, Nikoubin was charged with attempted murder, two counts of battery, and burglary of a business, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. It is unknown if additional charges are possible.

She was being held in the Clark County Detention Center Sunday morning. Her bail was set at $60,000. It is unclear if she is somehow linked to Iran. Nor was it clear why she selected this particular man to injure.

General Killed in Drone Strike

Soleimani was killed by the US Air Force at Baghdad International Airport during a drone attack on Jan. 3, 2020, i24 News, an Israeli-based news site said.

Soleimani led the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, The Times of Israel reported. The Israeli news site explained it is a terror group which handles foreign operations for Iran.

Soleimani led the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps
Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian general, pictured above. He was killed in a US Air Force drone strike in 2020. His death led a woman to allegedly stab a man earlier this month while at a Nevada casino-hotel. (Image: Getty Images via Time)

Nikoubin singled out the general’s death when explaining the attack of the man in Nevada.

She advised that there are injustices, in particular the killing of Qasem Soleimani in Iran,” an arrest report from the Henderson Police Department said, the Review-Journal reported. “Nikoubin stated she wanted revenge.”

Later, she claimed she did not want to murder the man.

‘Gravedigger’ Song Made Her Do It

She also later told authorities said she heard a song called “Gravedigger.” It “gave her the motivation… to carry out her revenge,” police reports quoting Nikoubin said.

There is a song “Gravedigger” performed by Dave Matthews. It is unclear if that is the song which motivated her to attack the man.

Nikoubin is believed to reside in Las Vegas. She has attended UCLA, i24 News said. Her reported hobbies include debating, Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide, a news site, reported. Other interests appear to be indoor cycling and painting. She studied philosophy in college, according to a UCLA online site.

Nikoubin will appear local court on March 24. If convicted, she could face many years in prison.

It appears the US Department of Homeland Security was involved in the investigation of the stabbing.