Pakistani man with ties to Iran charged in foiled assassination plot potentially targeting Trump, DOJ says

A Pakistani man with ties to the Iranian government sought to carry out a political assassination in the United States, a case that was investigated weeks before a gunman tried to kill former President Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally. 

Asif Merchant, 46, traveled to New York City and worked with a hit man to carry out the assassinations in late August or early September, federal prosecutors said in a court complaint. The complaint says the plot was intended to target high-ranking U.S. officials, potentially including Trump.

"Working on behalf of others overseas, Merchant planned the murder of U.S. government officials on American soil," said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. "This prosecution demonstrates that this Office and the entire U.S. Department of Justice will take swift and decisive action to protect our nation’s security, our government officials and our citizens from foreign threats."

Asif Merchant, 46, is accused to trying to kill a political figure in the United States. (Justice Department)

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Merchant was arrested on July 12 while preparing to leave the U.S., authorities said. He told investigators that he has a wife and children in Iran and a wife and children in Pakistan.

"Fortunately, the assassins Merchant allegedly tried to hire were undercover FBI Agents," said Acting Assistant Director Christie Curtis of the FBI New York Field Office. "This case underscores the dedication and formidable efforts of our agents, analysts and prosecutors in New York, Houston, and Dallas. Their success in neutralizing this threat not only prevented a tragic outcome but also reaffirms the FBI’s commitment to protecting our nation and its citizens from both domestic and international threats."

Merchant's alleged foiled plot has no ties to the shooting of Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, a federal government source told Fox News Digital. Investigators said targets included people on "both sides," not just Trump. 

Security concerns related to Trump and his former advisors have been raised before about possible retaliation from Tehran for the 2020 airstrike that killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani, a commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

"We have not received any reports on this matter from the U.S. Government," the Iranian Permanent Mission to the United Nations told Fox News Digital. "However, it is evident that the modus operandi in question contradicts the Iranian Government’s policy of legally prosecuting the murderer of General Soleimani." 

Merchant arrived in New York City from Texas in April with the intention of hiring a hit man to kill political figures in the U.S., prosecutors said. He contacted someone he believed would help him, but the person contacted the FBI and began working for the agency as a confidential source, court documents said. 

Merchant allegedly told the source that the "people who will be targeted are the ones who are hurting Pakistan and the world, [the] Muslim world. These are not normal people." He requested 25 men who could perform a protest as a distraction after a murder occurred, and a woman to do "reconnaissance," court documents state. 

He allegedly met with the source several times and stated he wanted him to do three things: steal documents or USB drives from one victim’s home, plan protests at political rallies and carry out assassinations. At one meeting, he allegedly told the source that the work was not a one-time opportunity and allegedly made a "finger gun" motion with his hand.

During a meeting, Merchant spoke of the "party" back home with whom he was working with while planning for several scenarios. He also used coded language to communicate his plans, saying "tee-shirt" meant "protest," which he described as the "lightest work," court documents said. 

"Flannel shirt" would mean "stealing," which was "heavier work", and "fleece jacket," the heaviest work, would mean "the third task…commit the act of the game," indicating the assassinations. 

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The phrase "denim jacket" referred to "sending money." Merchant allegedly met with undercover law enforcement officers and said he wanted to commit the killing in the last week of August or first week of September. He paid $5,000 in advance, authorities said. 

In 2022, the U.S. charged a 45-year-old member of Iran's IRGC who offered to pay someone $300,000 to kill former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton. The suspect allegedly also had plans to target former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

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