Asif Merchant, a 46-year-old Pakistani national with alleged ties to Iran, was arrested in Texas on July 12, 2024, as he prepared to leave the country.
According to U.S. officials, Merchant had been involved in a "dangerous murder-for-hire plot" aimed at assassinating prominent American politicians, including former President Donald Trump.
The FBI director, Christopher Wray, described the scheme as being "straight out of the Iranian playbook."
Merchant's arrest came after he allegedly met with undercover law enforcement officers posing as hitmen in New York on June 10, 2024. He reportedly planned to provide further instructions and the names of the intended targets in August or September after returning to Pakistan.
The Justice Department revealed that Merchant's plot was linked to Iran's desire for revenge over the 2020 assassination of Qassem Soleimani, a top commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).
Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the ongoing efforts by the Justice Department to counter Iran’s attempts to retaliate against American public officials.
Despite the gravity of the plot, no evidence has emerged linking Merchant to the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt on Trump in Butler County, Pennsylvania.
Merchant, who frequently traveled to Iran, Syria, and Iraq, was charged with murder for hire in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.
His lawyer, Avraham Moskowitz, declined to comment on the case. The Pakistani government, through its foreign ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, stated that it was in touch with U.S. authorities regarding the matter.
The thwarted plot shows the persistent threats faced by U.S. officials from foreign-directed schemes. As Garland noted, "For years, the Justice Department has been working aggressively to counter Iran’s brazen and unrelenting efforts to retaliate against American public officials for the killing of Iranian General Soleimani.
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