The U.S. Department of Justice has announced the indictment of Asif Merchant, also known as Asif Raza Merchant, a Pakistani national with alleged ties to Iran, in connection with a plot to assassinate a prominent U.S. politician or government official. The charges, unveiled on Wednesday, include terrorism transcending national boundaries and murder-for-hire.
Merchant, who is now in federal custody, was reportedly part of an Iranian-backed scheme to target high-profile U.S. politicians, with former President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden named as potential targets. The Justice Department emphasized that the foiled plot represented a grave national security threat.
“The Justice Department will not tolerate Iran’s efforts to target our country’s public officials and endanger our national security,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland in a statement following the indictment.
Merchant was arrested in July and has remained in custody ever since. According to U.S. Attorney Breon Peace, who oversees the Eastern District of New York, Merchant was the orchestrator of the assassination plot. After spending time in Iran earlier this year, Merchant traveled from Pakistan to the United States with the intention of carrying out the plan. He allegedly reached out to an individual he believed could help him execute the scheme, unaware that the person had reported his activities to law enforcement and become a confidential source.
In mid-June, Merchant met in New York with people he thought were hired hitmen, but they were actually undercover U.S. law enforcement officers. He then began arranging a $5,000 cash payment to the undercover officers as part of the plot.
If convicted, Merchant faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. His indictment has heightened tensions surrounding Iran’s alleged involvement in targeting U.S. officials and has drawn renewed attention to international terrorism efforts aimed at destabilizing the U.S. government.
