Washington DC, USA.- A Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran has been charged in the United States in connection with a foiled plot to assassinate American politicians or government officials, the Justice Department said Tuesday.
Asif Merchant, 46, sought to recruit people in the United States to carry out the plot in retaliation for the 2020 killing of top Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleiman, according to a criminal complaint.
Merchant, who prosecutors say spent time in Iran before traveling to the United States, was charged with murder for hire in federal court in the New York district of Brooklyn. A federal judge ordered his arrest on July 16, according to court records.
“For years, the Department of Justice has been working aggressively to counter Iran’s brazen and relentless efforts to retaliate against American public officials for the assassination of Iranian General Soleimani,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.
FBI investigators believe former President Donald Trump, who approved the drone strike against Soleimani, and other current and former US government officials were the intended targets of the plot, CNN reported, citing a US official.
The court documents do not name the alleged targets of the plot. Merchant told a law enforcement informant that there would be “security around” one of the targets, according to the criminal complaint.
A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment further. Trump’s presidential campaign could not immediately be reached for comment.
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