The U.S. government charged a 46-year-old Pakistani with involvement in a murder-for-hire plot against American political figures like former President Donald Trump, CBS News reported Tuesday, citing unsealed charging documents.
Asif Merchant, the Pakistani national, is accused of having ties to the Iranian government, the outlet reported, citing multiple sources familiar with the investigation. (RELATED: US Reportedly Received Intel Of Iranian Plot To Assassinate Trump)
Merchant allegedly began plotting his assassination campaign against American officials back in April, CBS News reported, citing court documents.
NEW: DOJ announces it has charged a Pakistani national w/ ties to Iran in a plot to assassinate current & former US government officials on US soil in retaliation for the Soleimani killing. DOJ says Asif Merchant flew to the US in April after spending time in Iran, then traveled… pic.twitter.com/Hjp0L90BVT
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) August 6, 2024
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland accused Merchant with seeking “to hire hitmen to assassinate a politician or a U.S. government official on U.S. soil,” an official Department of Justice press release published Tuesday reads. Merchant’s alleged attempt to recruit hitmen in the end did him in as he met with “undercover law enforcement officers” moonlighting as assassins for hire, Garland said. The Pakistani suspect allegedly offered $5,000 in advance, CBS News reported.
“For years, the Justice Department has been working to aggressively counter Iran’s brazen and unrelenting efforts to retaliate against American government officials for the killing of General Soleimani. The Justice Department has brought multiple cases against individuals working on behalf of the Iranian government to lethally target Americans in the United States,” Garland added. The attorney general also vowed that the Department of Justice would “spare no resource to disrupt and hold accountable those who would carry out Iran’s lethal plotting against Americans.”
There is no indication that the Pakistani’s plot was related to the attempt on Trump’s life that occurred July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, CBS News reported.
“Law enforcement foiled the charged plot before any attack could be carried out. Our ongoing investigation has not found evidence that this defendant (Merchant) had any connection to the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania,” a law enforcement official told the outlet.
Merchant was arrested July 12.
