US charges Pakistani man with Iran ties in murder-for-hire plot against Trump

A Pakistani national with ties to Iran has been charged in connection with a foiled assassination plot that may have targeted Trump.

Notably, the case prompted the US government to increase security for former President Donald Trump and other officials, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday.

Although the criminal complaint does not clearly name Trump, but sources have informed that he was one of the intended targets of the alleged plot.

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The 46-year-old Asif Merchant plotted to assassinate current and former government officials across the political spectrum, including former President Donald Trump, multiple sources familiar with the investigation claim.

The plot was thwarted by law enforcement before any attack could be executed. Merchant is currently in federal custody in New York, according to the FBI press release.

Merchant was arrested on July 12 while he was preparing to leave US, prosecutors said, shortly after he met with alleged hitmen who he believed would carry the murders but were actually undercover law enforcement officers.

According to court documents, Merchant wanted to target individuals in US who are hurting Pakistan and the Muslim world, stating that “these are not just normal people.”

However the FBI believes it thwarted Merchant’s plan before any attack, and in the weeks since his arrest he has cooperated with investigators, according to US officials.

The officials stated that the Iranian government’s known threats against Trump prompted the FBI to share the intelligence with US Secret Service, leading to increased security protection for the former president.

The purported plot

Merchant arrived in New York City in April and intended to hire a hit man who would carry out assassinations against officials on US soil, prosecutors say.

Although Merchant is a Pakistani national, prosecutors say he has been staying in Iran for a long time with his family.

Once in the United States, Merchant allegedly reached out to someone he believed could help with the murder-for-hire plot. However, that person contacted the FBI and began cooperating with investigators as a confidential source.

Merchant wanted to find people in New York to do three things: steal documents or USB drives from one victim’s home, plan protests at political rallies and carry out assassinations, according to the prosecutor.

Later that month, Merchant met with law enforcement officers working undercover as hitmen, according to prosecutors, and said he wanted them to kill a “political person in late August or early September.” Merchant allegedly arranged to pay them a $5,000 advance on the assassination.

(With inputs from agencies)