FBI Foils Alleged Iranian-Backed Assassination Attempt on American Officials, Including Trump

FBI officials are investigating a Pakistani national, with alleged ties to Iran, who was seeking to carry out political assassinations at New York City, according to a Department of Justice indictment unsealed Tuesday.Asif Merchant was allegedly targeting Trump and other government officials. The arrest has prompted officials to increase security around Trump, especially after an attempt was made on his life during a rally at Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13.Mr. Merchant was arrested July 12, one day before Trump was nearly killed. He is being accused of working with a hitman to carry out the assassination attempts in late August or early September of last year. The FBI director, Christopher Wray, said that the plot was “straight out of the Iranian playbook.” Mr. Merchant is believed to have been arrested before any kind of premeditated attack took place, and he is in federal custody.“The Justice Department will spare no resource to disrupt and hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran’s lethal plotting against American citizens,” Attorney General Garland said.The DOJ “will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to target American public officials and endanger America’s national security,” he added.According to the prosecution, Mr. Merchant arrived on American soil from Pakistan in April, after spending time in Iran. He allegedly contacted someone whom he believed could help him with his plots.Instead, his contact reported him to law enforcement and became a confidential source. Mr. Merchant allegedly wanted his contact to work with him on future assassinations as well. Mr. Merchant’s plot involved stealing a target’s documents and inciting protests in addition to assassination.In June, Mr. Merchant met with purported hitmen, who were American law enforcement agents in disguise. He enlisted their help and said they would receive instructions from him on who to kill after he had left America.On June 21, Mr. Merchant met with the undercover agents to pay the $5,000 in advance for their services, and made arrangements to leave America shortly afterward. He was arrested nearly four weeks later.“The targeting of former and current officials by foreign actors is an affront to our sovereignty and our democratic institutions and the Department of Justice will use every possible tool to expose and disrupt this egregious activity,” an assistant attorney general, Matthew Olson, said. The FBI will take this as a welcomed public victory after the debacle at the Butler rally, for which the bureau was severely scrutinized during a Senate hearing last week. The acting FBI assistant director, Christie Curtis, was quick to praise her agents, saying that this case “underscores the dedication and formidable efforts of our agents, analysts and prosecutors.” She also said it “reaffirms the FBI’s commitment to protecting our nation and its citizens from both domestic and international threats.”The DOJ has not responded to the Sun’s requests seeking comment on this matter.

FBI Foils Alleged Iranian-Backed Assassination Attempt on American Officials, Including Trump

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