22-year-old facing charges for stabbing inside hotel
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A woman accused of stabbing her online date in retaliation for a U.S. military drone strike that killed an Iranian leader, who told police she wanted to get revenge, pleaded not guilty in court on Wednesday.
A Clark County grand jury indicted Nika Nikoubin, 22, on charges of attempted murder with the use of a deadly weapon because of certain, actual or perceived characteristics of a person, and two counts of battery, records showed.
Henderson police arrested Nikoubin, a UCLA student, shortly after the stabbing on March 5 at Sunset Station. Nikoubin and the male victim met online on the dating website Plenty of Fish, Henderson police wrote in an arrest report. The duo then agreed to meet at the hotel, renting a room together, police said.
Videos the 8 News Now Investigators first obtained show police’s response minutes after the victim called 911. Police found Nikoubin naked in a utility area on the 14th floor of the hotel, they said. One half-hour-long video shows an officer interviewing Nikoubin about the stabbing.
Nikoubin pleaded not guilty during a brief hearing Wednesday. A trial was tentatively scheduled for July.
While speaking to officers, Nikoubin said she wanted to get revenge for the drone strike, which killed Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani in 2020.
A spokesperson for Nikoubin previously told the 8 News Now Investigators that she received mental health treatment and was employed pending trial. He denied any political motivation for Nikoubin’s actions.