Pakistani national charged in Trump assassination plot
7 August 2024 06:54
A Pakistani national was charged on Tuesday with conspiracy to carry out a political assassination. The target of Asif Merchant was Donald Trump, CNN reported.
According to the Associated Press (AP), prosecutors from Brooklyn announced charges against 46-year-old Asif Merchant, accusing him of travelling to New York to hire a hitman to carry out the assassination.
CNN reported, citing the indictment and a statement from a U.S. official, that the foiled plot was aimed at Donald Trump, the Republican candidate in the upcoming presidential election. According to the television station, FBI investigators believe that Trump, as well as current and former U.S. government officials, were targets of the plot.
According to Reuters, Merchant sought revenge for the U.S. killing of Iranian special forces commander General Qasem Soleimani in 2020. CNN reported that the Pakistani national has ties to the Iranian government. AP reported that the man spent many years in Iran, where he has family.
Arrived in New York and sought people. Pakistani national charged with plotting against Trump
Merchant arrived in New York in April of this year and contacted a person he thought would help him commission the political assassination. This person contacted the FBI and began working with investigators.
It was revealed that the Pakistani national was seeking people who would steal documents or memory disks from the home of one of the targets, plan protests at political rallies, and carry out political assassinations.
The man met in New York with supposed hitmen who he believed would carry out the killings, but they were in fact undercover law enforcement officers. He was alleged to have arranged to pay a $5,000 advance for the assassinations, which were to take place in late August or early September.
According to court documents cited by Reuters, a federal judge ordered his detention on July 16. He was then preparing to leave the U.S. He is currently being held in federal custody.
On July 13, Donald Trump became the target of a failed assassination attempt by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who shot at him from a distance of 135 metres during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Two people were killed, including the assailant, and two others were seriously injured. According to CNN, investigators have determined that the failed assassination attempt in Pennsylvania is not connected to Merchant's actions.
