- US arrests Pakistani man in alleged plot to kill politicians
- Asif Merchant, 46, has been charged with orchestrating an alleged plot to assassinate prominent U.S. politicians and officials
- The FBI has described the scheme as a “dangerous murder-for-hire plot”
- FBI Director Christopher Wray noting that it appeared to be “straight out of the Iranian playbook”
US arrests Pakistani man in alleged plot to kill politicians
Asif Merchant, 46, has been charged with orchestrating an alleged plot to assassinate prominent U.S. politicians and officials. The FBI has described the scheme as a “dangerous murder-for-hire plot,” with FBI Director Christopher Wray noting that it appeared to be “straight out of the Iranian playbook.”
Merchant, who arrived in the U.S. from Pakistan in April after spending time in Iran, is accused of attempting to hire a hitman in New York. According to sources reported by CBS, former President Donald Trump was among the targets. The indictment suggests that security for Trump, a Republican presidential nominee, was heightened in June after authorities became aware of the plot.
Merchant was arrested in July and is currently being held in New York.
The indictment alleges that upon arriving in the U.S., Merchant contacted a person he believed could assist with the assassination plot. This contact later reported Merchant to the authorities. Merchant is said to have used a “finger gun” gesture to describe his intentions and suggested that the contact’s services would be needed repeatedly, not just for a one-time act.
Furthermore, the indictment details that Merchant planned to leave the U.S. before the assassinations took place, intending to communicate using code words. In June, the contact introduced him to undercover FBI agents posing as hitmen. Merchant allegedly instructed them to steal documents, organise protests at political rallies, and carry out an assassination of a “political person.”