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The Justice Department announced charges against a Pakistani man with ties to Iran in connection with an assassination plot against American officials.
Asif Merchant, also known as Asif Raza Merchant, was indicted with “attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries and murder-for-hire as part of a scheme to assassinate a politician or U.S. government official on U.S. soil.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a statement alongside the news of Merchant’s indictment.
“The Justice Department will not tolerate Iran’s efforts to target our country’s public officials and endanger our national security,” said Garland.
“As these terrorism and murder for hire charges against Asif Merchant demonstrate, we will continue to hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran’s lethal plotting against Americans,” he added.
FBI Director Christopher Wray did not directly name President Donald Trump as the target of the assassination plot, but spoke strong words about the safety of Americans.
“This dangerous murder-for-hire plot was allegedly orchestrated by a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran and is straight out of the Iranian regime’s playbook,” Wray stated.
“A foreign-directed plot to kill a public official, or any U.S. citizen, is a serious threat to our national security and will be met with the full might and resources of the FBI. Protecting Americans from terrorists remains our highest priority,” he continued.
Merchant reportedly traveled to Iran earlier this year before returning to Pakistan and then arriving in the U.S. He allegedly contacted an individual he believed could assist him with the plot. The person reportedly contacted law enforcement.
Undercover U.S. law enforcement officers then met with Merchant in New York in June. Merchant reportedly began arranging ways to get $5,000 in cash to pay the undercover officers, according to the Justice Department’s statement.
Merchant remains in custody. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The Justice Department’s news comes one week after Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released records provided through an FBI whistleblower sharing details about Iranian-backed assassination attempts on Trump and other officials.
The assassination efforts were reportedly in connection with the death of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corp officer Qasem Soleimani who was killed during Trump’s term in 2020.
“Bad actors are determined to wreak havoc on our country, and American political leaders across both parties are sitting squarely in the crosshairs,” Grassley said in a statement, according to Fox News.
“In this extraordinarily heightened threat environment, federal agencies ought to be laser focused on building up public trust and reassuring the American people of their efforts to carry out their protective missions,” he added.
