U.S. News
Shocking FBI Sting Foils Assassination Plot Targeting Top US Figures
Clear Facts
- A federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Asif Merchant of murder-for-hire and terrorism charges in an Iran-backed assassination plot.
- Merchant, an IRGC operative, targeted President Trump, Joe Biden, and Nikki Haley to avenge Qassem Soleimani’s death.
- He was arrested in July 2024 after meeting undercover FBI agents posing as hitmen in New York.
A Pakistani national acting for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps plotted assassinations of top U.S. leaders on American soil. Federal authorities thwarted the scheme through sharp vigilance.
Merchant entered the U.S. in April 2024 and contacted supposed hitmen in June, unknowingly dealing with law enforcement. He paid a $5,000 advance before his arrest on July 12, just before the Butler rally shooting.
“This man landed on American soil hoping to kill President Trump — instead, he was met with the might of American law enforcement,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi.
“The Department of Justice will remain ever-vigilant to protect Americans, prosecute terrorists, and halt acts of terrorism before they happen.”
Trained by IRGC since late 2022, Merchant aimed to recruit criminals for murders, thefts, and disruptions. During trial, he claimed coercion over family threats.
“My family was under threat, and I had to do this,” he testified.
Merchant faces life in prison, underscoring U.S. resolve against foreign terror threats. American law enforcement’s quick action protected the nation.
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