US charges man over alleged Iran-linked assassination scheme
A Pakistani defendant, Asif Merchant, who is accused in the United States of planning assassinations targeting several politicians, including President Donald Trump, has claimed that the plot was prepared by individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
According to a report by The Washington Post, Asif Merchant — who is on trial in a federal court in the Brooklyn borough of New York City on charges of terrorism and hiring contract killers — told the court that he worked with individuals linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to prepare an assassination plot targeting U.S. politicians.
Merchant argued that he was forced to participate in the plan out of concern for the safety of his family in Iran, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.
He said the assignment given to him included hiring contract killers, obtaining certain documents, and organizing protests.
Merchant stated that those who contacted him named Donald Trump, former U.S. President Joe Biden, and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley as potential targets.
The United States Department of Justice announced on August 7, 2024, that Merchant — who is allegedly linked to Iran — had been charged with planning political assassinations on U.S. soil.
Federal authorities said Merchant traveled to New York in June 2024 and met with individuals he believed he could recruit to carry out the assassinations. According to investigators, he paid two suspected hitmen an advance of $5,000.
