Pakistani national charged with alleged plot to assassinate Donald Trump, other public officials: DOJ

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Looks like a separate assassination attempt on Trump

The Justice Department has charged a Pakistani man who has alleged ties to the Iranian government with seeking to carry out political assassinations, a case that prompted the US government to increase security for former President Donald Trump and other officials, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday.

FBI investigators believe that Trump and other current and former US government officials were the intended targets of the plot, a US official briefed on the matter said.

Asif Merchant, 46, is accused of traveling to New York City and working with a hit man to carry out the assassinations in late August or early September, according to charges filed by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York.

Merchant was arrested on July 12 while preparing to leave the United States, prosecutors said, shortly after he met with purported hitmen who he believed would carry the murders but were actually undercover law enforcement officers. He is in federal custody.

Merchant said that he wanted to target individuals in the United States who are “hurting Pakistan and the world, [the] Muslim world,” according to court documents, adding that “these are not just normal people.”

The FBI investigated the alleged international murder-for-hire plot in the weeks before a 20-year-old from Pennsylvania nearly assassinated the former president at one of his rallies. A law enforcement official told CNN that investigators have not found evidence that Merchant had any connection to the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The FBI believes it foiled Merchant’s plot before any attack, and in the weeks since his arrest he has cooperated with investigators, according to US officials. But the Iranian government’s known threats against Trump, prompted the FBI to pass on the intelligence to the US Secret Service, which increased security protection for the former president, officials have said.

As part of the plot, prosecutors say, Merchant was seeking men to commit the actual assassinations, a woman to do “reconnaissance,” and around 25 people “who could perform a protest as a distraction after the murder occurred.”

The plot revealed by US prosecutors on Tuesday adds to a growing list of detailed Iranian plans to allegedly kill Trump, according to national security officials.

The US government has repeatedly raised concerns that Iran may try to retaliate for a 2020 US drone strike that killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani, a top general in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by trying to kill Trump or his former advisers.

“We have not received any reports on this matter from the U.S. Government,” a spokesperson for Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations told CNN when asked about the Justice Department charges. “However, it is evident that the modus operandi in question contradicts the Iranian Government’s policy of legally prosecuting the murderer of General Soleimani.”

The alleged plot

Merchant arrived in New York City in April, prosecutors say, and aimed to hire a hit man who would carry out assassinations against officials on US soil. Although Merchant is a Pakistani national, prosecutors say he spent time in Iran and has family there.

Once in the United States, Merchant allegedly contacted someone who he believed would assist him in the murder-for-hire plot. That person, however, contacted the FBI and began working for investigators as a confidential source.

Merchant met with the confidential human source in early June, prosecutors say, and said that he wanted he 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. Merchant allegedly told the confidential human source that the work was not a one-time opportunity and made a “finger gun” motion with his hand.

As the meeting went on, Merchant spoke of a “party” back home with whom he was working, and started planning potential scenarios – even asking the confidential human source to explain how a person with “security” that was “all around” would die, prosecutors say.

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.

He also allegedly told the hitmen to communicate with him about their plans in code, saying that “the word ‘tee-shirt’ would mean a ‘protest’ (because it was the ‘lightest’ job), the phrase ‘flannel shirt’ would mean ‘stealing,’ because it was ‘heavier work,’ and the phrase ‘fleece jacket,’ would mean ‘the third task … commit the act of the game.’” The third part of his plan, according to prosecutors, were the assassinations.

Merchant planned to leave the country before the assassination, prosecutors say, but was arrested before he could go.

US prosecutors have charged other individuals for similar assassination attempts in the past, including charges brought in 2022 against a 45-year-old Iranian national and IRGC member who allegedly tried to pay $300,000 to an individual in the US to kill former national security adviser John Bolton. In that case, prosecutors allege that the plot was “likely in retaliation” for Soleimani’s death.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said Tuesday that the US “will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to target American public officials and endanger America’s national security.”


 
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Pakistani national charged with alleged plot to assassinate Donald Trump, other public officials: DOJ

A Pakistani national with purported ties to Iran was arrested last month on charges he plotted to assassinate former President Donald Trump and multiple other public officials, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court.

While the criminal complaint does not mention Trump by name, multiple sources familiar with the case told ABC News one of the intended targets of the alleged plot was Trump. Other possible targets included government officials from both sides of the aisle, the sources said.

After spending time in Iran, Asif Merchant flew from Pakistan to the U.S. to recruit hitmen to carry out the alleged plot, according to a detention memo. The person he contacted was a confidential informant working with the FBI, according to the criminal complaint.

Merchant, 46, is charged with murder for hire.

Asif was arrested July 12, one day prior Trump's July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was shot in the ear.

"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," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. "The Justice Department will spare no resource to disrupt and hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran's lethal plotting against American citizens, and will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to target American public officials and endanger America's national security."
In April, Merchant arrived from Iran and contacted someone to help with his plot, according to officials. The person ended up being a confidential source who reported the information to law enforcement, according to the Justice Department. Merchant allegedly again met up with the source in early June and explained the assassination plot and said it was "not a one-time opportunity," officials said.

"Specifically, Merchant requested men who could do the killing, approximately 25 people who could perform a protest as a distraction after the murder occurred, and a woman to do 'reconnaissance,'" the complaint said.

By mid-June, he met up with the people he thought would carry out the hits -- but who were actually undercover law enforcement officials, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Merchant even paid the apparent hitmen $5,000 as an advance on the assassinations before making plans to leave the country when the killings took place, officials said. Instead, he was arrested on July 12, the date he planned to leave the U.S.
A final target had not been selected by the time Merchant made arrangements to fly out of the U.S., according to officials.

Investigators have said they've found no link between foreign operatives and Thomas Crooks, the 20-year-old shot and killed after he tried to assassinate Trump from a rooftop near the stage, but the arrest may help explain some last-minute adjustments to rally security.

"We were initially told that there was no Secret Service snipers coming but that was shifted either Thursday or Friday to indicate that there were," Pat Young, head of the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit, told ABC News. "We had been told that this is the first time that a non-sitting president had been allocated Secret Service snipers. So that threw up some alarm bells for some of our guys that -- why the sudden shift -- from one stance to the other?"


 
A Pakistani national with purported ties to Iran was arrested last month on charges he plotted to assassinate former President Donald Trump and multiple other public officials, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court.

While the criminal complaint does not mention Trump by name, multiple sources familiar with the case told ABC News one of the intended targets of the alleged plot was Trump. Other possible targets included government officials from both sides of the aisle, the sources said.

After spending time in Iran, Asif Merchant flew from Pakistan to the U.S. to recruit hitmen to carry out the alleged plot, according to a detention memo. The person he contacted was a confidential informant working with the FBI, according to the criminal complaint.

Merchant, 46, is charged with murder for hire.

Asif was arrested July 12, one day prior Trump's July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was shot in the ear.


"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," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. "The Justice Department will spare no resource to disrupt and hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran's lethal plotting against American citizens, and will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to target American public officials and endanger America's national security."

Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, added, "Working on behalf of others overseas, Merchant planned the murder of U.S. government officials on American soil."

In April, Merchant arrived from Iran and contacted someone to help with his plot, according to officials. The person ended up being a confidential source who reported the information to law enforcement, according to the Justice Department. Merchant allegedly again met up with the source in early June and explained the assassination plot and said it was "not a one-time opportunity," officials said.


"Specifically, Merchant requested men who could do the killing, approximately 25 people who could perform a protest as a distraction after the murder occurred, and a woman to do 'reconnaissance,'" the complaint said.

By mid-June, he met up with the people he thought would carry out the hits -- but who were actually undercover law enforcement officials, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Merchant even paid the apparent hitmen $5,000 as an advance on the assassinations before making plans to leave the country when the killings took place, officials said. Instead, he was arrested on July 12, the date he planned to leave the U.S.

Fortunately, the assassins Merchant allegedly tried to hire were undercover FBI Agents," acting Assistant Director Christie Curtis of the FBI New York Field Office said in a statement. "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."

A final target had not been selected by the time Merchant made arrangements to fly out of the U.S., according to officials.

Investigators have said they've found no link between foreign operatives and Thomas Crooks, the 20-year-old shot and killed after he tried to assassinate Trump from a rooftop near the stage, but the arrest may help explain some last-minute adjustments to rally security.

"We were initially told that there was no Secret Service snipers coming but that was shifted either Thursday or Friday to indicate that there were," Pat Young, head of the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit, told ABC News. "We had been told that this is the first time that a non-sitting president had been allocated Secret Service snipers. So that threw up some alarm bells for some of our guys that -- why the sudden shift -- from one stance to the other?"

 
Get loonies every where. No different to the Indian who was charged for trying to assassinate the Queen few years back
 
A Pakistani national with purported ties to Iran was arrested last month on charges he plotted to assassinate former President Donald Trump and multiple other public officials, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court.
Who the hell believes this crap?

They've been trying to go to war with Iran for years.

With markets tanking and then this comes out.

Probably time for some "democracy" and oil to go along with it.
 
But one thing is for sure if Trump becomes president there will be no more immigration from Pakistan to US, BTW in my honest opinion Trump is definitely far better then all the US president I have seen in my life so far.
 
An attempt to divert the attention so no one is talking about incompetence of secret service.

Best task force secret service couldn't spot a man walking in broad day light with a huge rifle but they found Iranian hiring a Pakistani national to do their job?
 
Iran trying to do political on the cheap by hiring a Pakistani hitman. If you really want to go down that road, why not do it yourselves?

A lot of the Iranians in the US moved there when the Shah fell. They hate the current regime and would report to the FBI on first approach :LOL:
 
A Pakistani national with purported ties to Iran was arrested last month on charges he plotted to assassinate former President Donald Trump and multiple other public officials, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court.

While the criminal complaint does not mention Trump by name, multiple sources familiar with the case told ABC News one of the intended targets of the alleged plot was Trump. Other possible targets included government officials from both sides of the aisle, the sources said.

After spending time in Iran, Asif Merchant flew from Pakistan to the U.S. to recruit hitmen to carry out the alleged plot, according to a detention memo. The person he contacted was a confidential informant working with the FBI, according to the criminal complaint.

Merchant, 46, is charged with murder for hire.

Asif was arrested July 12, one day prior Trump's July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he was shot in the ear.


"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," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. "The Justice Department will spare no resource to disrupt and hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran's lethal plotting against American citizens, and will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to target American public officials and endanger America's national security."

Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, added, "Working on behalf of others overseas, Merchant planned the murder of U.S. government officials on American soil."

In April, Merchant arrived from Iran and contacted someone to help with his plot, according to officials. The person ended up being a confidential source who reported the information to law enforcement, according to the Justice Department. Merchant allegedly again met up with the source in early June and explained the assassination plot and said it was "not a one-time opportunity," officials said.


"Specifically, Merchant requested men who could do the killing, approximately 25 people who could perform a protest as a distraction after the murder occurred, and a woman to do 'reconnaissance,'" the complaint said.

By mid-June, he met up with the people he thought would carry out the hits -- but who were actually undercover law enforcement officials, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Merchant even paid the apparent hitmen $5,000 as an advance on the assassinations before making plans to leave the country when the killings took place, officials said. Instead, he was arrested on July 12, the date he planned to leave the U.S.

Fortunately, the assassins Merchant allegedly tried to hire were undercover FBI Agents," acting Assistant Director Christie Curtis of the FBI New York Field Office said in a statement. "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."

A final target had not been selected by the time Merchant made arrangements to fly out of the U.S., according to officials.

Investigators have said they've found no link between foreign operatives and Thomas Crooks, the 20-year-old shot and killed after he tried to assassinate Trump from a rooftop near the stage, but the arrest may help explain some last-minute adjustments to rally security.

"We were initially told that there was no Secret Service snipers coming but that was shifted either Thursday or Friday to indicate that there were," Pat Young, head of the Beaver County Emergency Services Unit, told ABC News. "We had been told that this is the first time that a non-sitting president had been allocated Secret Service snipers. So that threw up some alarm bells for some of our guys that -- why the sudden shift -- from one stance to the other?"

Thankfully he isn't Indian. Otherwise people may think they work for RAW 🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

FBI rejects CNN's claims about Asif Merchant's alleged involvement in Trump assassination plot​

An official from the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has denied CNN's report about Asif Merchant, a Pakistani man alleged to have ties to the Iranian government and accused of planning political assassinations in the United States.

CNN, citing unsealed court documents from the Justice Department, reported that Merchant had been charged in a case that led the US government to heighten security for former President Donald Trump and other officials.

However, in the same report, CNN quoted an FBI official stating that investigators had not found any evidence linking Merchant to the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.

FBI investigators suspect that Trump and other current and former US government officials were the intended targets of the plot, according to a US official familiar with the matter.

The White House also stated that no evidence has been found against Asif Merchant, and the investigation is ongoing as the accused remains in federal custody.

Prosecutors claim that Merchant planned to leave the country before carrying out the assassination, but he was arrested before he could flee.

According to charges filed by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York, Asif Merchant, 46, is accused of traveling to New York City and collaborating with a hitman to execute assassinations in late August or early September.

Prosecutors stated that Merchant was arrested on July 12 while attempting to leave the United States. His arrest came shortly after he met with supposed hitmen, who were actually undercover law enforcement officers. Merchant is currently in federal custody.

Court documents reveal that Merchant expressed a desire to target individuals in the United States who he claimed were "hurting Pakistan and the world, [the] Muslim world," emphasizing that "these are not just normal people."

Source: The Express Tribune
 
A lot of the Iranians in the US moved there when the Shah fell. They hate the current regime and would report to the FBI on first approach :LOL:

I've met a few Iranians who fled when the Shah fell. Generally they don't seem a happy bunch, they curse the mullahs understandably, but when you are looking backwards you can't look forwards. I think that is maybe the problem.
 
FO says in touch with US over Pakistani man charged in ‘assassination plot’

The Foreign Office said on Wednesday it was in touch with the United States authorities after reports emerged that a Pakistani national allegedly charged in the US in connection with a foiled plot to assassinate an American politician or government officials.

“We have seen the media reports. We are in touch with the US authorities and await further details,” FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement.

The spokesperson said that they have also noted the statements by US officials that this is an ongoing investigation.

“Before giving our formal reaction, we also need to be sure of the antecedents of the individual in question,” she added.


 
Muslims falling in line with the big dawg.

Assassins of islamic pakistan should back off. For now at least.


I was imaging this to be some sort of joke article but its true 🤯 .
without Michigan, Democrats have no chance. Are the muslims thinking that Trump will side with Palestinians :ROFLMAO:
 
A lot of the Iranians in the US moved there when the Shah fell. They hate the current regime and would report to the FBI on first approach :LOL:
Not just the persians who fortunately escaped islamic regime.

It's also those who unfortunately are still occupied by islamic mullahs.

Raped. Pillaged. And yet fighting it out tooth and nail within its boundaries.
 
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