US Charges Pakistani Man With Iran Ties In Murder-For-Hire Plot Against US Politician

According to the authorities, a 46-year-old Pakistani national, Asif Raza Merchant, who has close ties to Iran, is in connection with a foiled plot to assassinate a politician or U.S. government officials on American soil. Merchant was charged with murder-for-hire in a complaint unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn as part of the assassination scheme.

Law enforcement foiled the plot 

Law enforcement foiled the charged plot before any attack could be carried out.

According to a person familiar with the matter of DD News, Former President Donald Trump, who approved the drone strike on Soleimani, while in office, was mentioned as a potential target in the plot. However, the scheme was not specifically designed to assassinate the former president. 

“For years, the Justice Department has been working aggressively to counter Iran’s brazen and unrelenting efforts to retaliate against American public officials for the killing of Iranian General Soleimani,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

“We have not received any reports on this matter from the U.S. Government”

The court documents do not reveal the alleged targets of the plot. According to the criminal complaint, Merchant informed the law enforcement informant that there would be “security all around” one target. A Justice Department spokesperson refused to comment further and Avraham Moskowitz, a lawyer for Merchant, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“We have not received any reports on this matter from the U.S. Government. However, it is evident that the modus operandi in question contradicts the Iranian Government’s policy of legally prosecuting the murderer of General Soleimani,” the Iranian mission to the United Nations in New York said in a statement to Reuters.

Trump’s assassination attempt 

Earlier Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania last month. Garland said that investigators didn’t find  Merchant’s connection to the shooting while officials have said that the shooting was carried out by a lone 20-year-old gunman. Trump’s presidential campaign could not immediately be reached for comment.

According to the complaint, An individual Merchant contacted the Merchant in April to assist him with the plot, reported his activities to law enforcement, and became a confidential informant. In addition, Merchant notified the informant that his plans also involved stealing documents from one target and organizing protests in the United States. 

Follow Wat-Not on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram