Pakistani Man Charged in U.S. for Iran-Linked Assassination Plot

Asif Merchant, a Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran, has been charged in the U.S. for attempting to recruit individuals to assassinate American politicians as retaliation for the U.S killing of Iran's top commander, Qassem Soleimani. His plot was foiled before any attack occurred.

Asif Merchant, a Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran, faces charges in the United States for involvement in a foiled assassination plot targeting American politicians, the Justice Department announced on Tuesday.

According to the criminal complaint, Merchant sought to recruit people in the U.S. to avenge the killing of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' top commander, Qassem Soleimani, in 2020. Former President Donald Trump, responsible for ordering the drone strike on Soleimani, was mentioned as a possible target, but the plot was not centered on assassinating Trump specifically.

Federal prosecutors in New York's Brooklyn borough have charged Merchant, who reportedly spent time in Iran before traveling to the U.S. from Pakistan, with murder for hire. A federal judge ordered his detention on July 17. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the Justice Department's ongoing efforts to counteract Iran's attempts to retaliate for Soleimani's death. Court documents did not reveal the intended targets, though Merchant indicated to a law enforcement informant that security would be tight around one of them.

(With inputs from agencies.)