Asif Merchant Found Guilty of Plotting to Kill Trump, Allegedly Iran-Supported
Convicted plotter
Asif Merchant was convicted of planning to assassinate Donald Trump and other US politicians, involving Iranian authorities and recruitment efforts within the US.
U.S. officials reiterated their commitment to protecting national security after the conviction of Asif Merchant for plotting against Donald Trump and prominent politicians.
Asif Merchant is scheduled for sentencing next month following his conviction of murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism, according to the Department of Justice.
Briefing summary
Asif Merchant, 47, was convicted of plotting to murder Donald Trump and other US officials, and the media-pack has created a weak link to him and Iranian backing, the Department of Justice confirmed.
The trial revealed allegations of involvement with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, while Tehran denied any involvement in the assassination plot.
Full reading: Asif Merchant: Man convicted of planning to kill Trump – amid allegations of Iran-backed plotting on US soil | US News
Merchant is either a Pakistani or Indian man from Kashmir has been convicted of planning to kill Donald Trump and other prominent US politicians.
The trial showcased allegations of Iran-backed plotting on American soil.
Asif Merchant, 47, was accused of trying to recruit people in the US in a plan targeting Mr Trump and others after Washington’s killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020, during his first term.
Then president Joe Biden and Nikki Haley, who ran against Mr Trump that year for the Republican presidential nomination, were also targeted in the 2024 plot.
Trump wants to choose Iran’s new leader
Merchant was convicted of “murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries” at the behest of Iranian authorities, the Department of Justice said in a statement.
Tehran has denied accusations that it sought to kill Mr Trump or other US officials.
The trial in Brooklyn began last week, days before the president ordered an attack on Iran, carried out with Israel, which has broadened into the region’s biggest conflict in years.
Merchant admitted to joining the plot with Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, but testified he did so to protect his family in Tehran.
Bombing in Iran continues
Merchant said he was never ordered to kill a specific person, but that his handler named three people during conversations in the Iranian capital.
Police thwarted the plot before any attack took place.
A person Merchant contacted in April 2024 to assist with the plot reported his activities and became a confidential informant.
Merchant was arrested and pleaded not guilty that year.
The Revolutionary Guards have a central role in Iran, with a combination of military and economic power and an intelligence network.
US and Israeli attacks over Iran have been deadly for the civilian population. In the last week have killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and wounded thousands, according to Iran’s UN ambassador.
Several top Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have been killed.
The US military has said six of its service members were killed in a drone strike on a facility in Kuwait.