A Pakistani man named Asif Merchant has been charged in a plot to carry out political assassinations in the U.S.
Merchant allegedly has ties to Iran. He traveled to New York in April seeking to hire hitmen, paying $5,000 to undercover law enforcement officers who were posing as assassins.
No potential targets are identified in court documents, but the announcement comes weeks after U.S. officials disclosed an Iran-linked threat against Donald Trump’s life. Trump was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania last month.
Merchant was arrested on July 12, the day before the rally. Prosecutors say he instructed the supposed assassins to carry out killings in August or September after he had left the U.S.
Officials have long warned about Iran seeking revenge for the 2020 U.S. killing of an Iranian general. The Justice Department says it will disrupt any Iranian lethal plots against Americans.
Source: AP News
