Assassination conspiracy: Pakistani man convicted over alleged Iran-backed plot against Trump
WASHINGTON, March 7— A Pakistani national was convicted on Friday in a U.S. federal court of plotting to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump and other American political figures in a scheme prosecutors said was directed by Iranian authorities in retaliation for the 2020 killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Asif Merchant was found guilty of murder-for-hire and attempting to carry out an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries following a trial in the Brooklyn federal court. Prosecutors said the plot involved efforts to recruit individuals in the United States to target prominent political leaders.Alleged retaliation plotFederal prosecutors said Merchant attempted to organize the assassination plan as retaliation for Washington’s 2020 drone strike that killed Soleimani during Trump’s first term in office. Investigators said Merchant tried to recruit people inside the United States to assist in the plan.
According to court filings, the alleged targets included Trump as well as then-President Joe Biden and former U.S. ambassador and Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley during the 2024 election cycle.The Justice Department said the plot was directed by Iranian authorities and linked to Iran’s elite security force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The IRGC holds extensive military, intelligence and economic influence within Iran.Defendant’s testimonyMerchant acknowledged during the trial that he had agreed to participate in the plan with members of the Revolutionary Guards but told the court he did so under duress. He testified that he feared for the safety of his family living in Tehran if he refused to cooperate.He said he was not ordered to assassinate a specific individual but claimed his Iranian handler referenced three potential targets during conversations in the Iranian capital.Tehran has previously denied accusations that it orchestrated assassination plots against current or former U.S. officials.Plot disrupted by informantU.S. law enforcement officials said the plan was thwarted before any attack could take place. The Justice Department said a person Merchant contacted in April 2024 to assist with the operation reported the approach to authorities and became a confidential informant.
Authorities subsequently monitored Merchant’s activities before arresting him later in 2024. He pleaded not guilty at the time of his arrest.The trial began last week, days before the United States and Israel launched a major military assault on Iran that has since expanded into one of the region’s largest conflicts in years.Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations has said at least 1,332 Iranian civilians have been killed and thousands wounded in the attacks. Iranian authorities have also reported the deaths of several senior figures, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.The case underscores long-running tensions between Washington and Tehran following the killing of Soleimani, a senior Iranian military commander widely seen as a key architect of Iran’s regional military strategy.
