A Pakistani man linked to Iran has been charged in the United States for his alleged involvement in a thwarted assassination plot targeting a U.S. politician or government officials, according to the Justice Department on Tuesday.
Asif Merchant, 46, attempted to recruit individuals in the U.S. to execute the plot in response to the U.S. killing of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020, as detailed in a criminal complaint. Former President Donald Trump, who authorized the drone strike on Soleimani, was considered a potential target, but the plot was not specifically aimed at him, according to sources familiar with the case. Merchant, who is accused of having spent time in Iran prior to his arrival in the U.S. from Pakistan, faces charges of murder for hire in federal court in Brooklyn, New York. A federal judge ordered his detention on July 17, as per court records.
"For years, the Justice Department has been actively countering Iran’s aggressive efforts to retaliate against American public officials for the killing of Iranian General Soleimani," stated Attorney General Merrick Garland. The court documents do not specify the intended targets of the plot. Merchant informed a law enforcement informant that there would be "security all around" one target, according to the criminal complaint. The Justice Department declined to provide further comments, and Merchant's lawyer, Avraham Moskowitz, did not respond to requests for comment.
The Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York stated to Reuters, "We have not received any reports on this matter from the U.S. Government. However, it is evident that the modus operandi in question contradicts the Iranian Government’s policy of legally prosecuting the murderer of General Soleimani." Trump, the Republican candidate in the upcoming presidential election, survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania last month. Garland confirmed that there is no evidence linking Merchant to the shooting, which was executed by a lone 20-year-old gunman.
Law enforcement successfully prevented any attacks from being carried out by Merchant. An individual he approached in April to aid in the plot reported his activities to law enforcement and became a confidential informant, as stated in the complaint. Prosecutors allege that Merchant's plans also involved stealing documents from one target and organizing protests in the United States.
