By James Myers, OAN Staff
Tuesday, August 6, 2024 2:09 PM
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has indicted a Pakistani man with alleged ties to the Iranian government in a political assassination plot.
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Federal prosecutors said in a criminal complaint that Asif Merchant, 46, traveled to New York City and conspired with a hit man to carry out the assassination in late August or early September. The plan was to target senior U.S. officials, possibly including former President Donald Trump, according to the complaint.
The merchant was arrested on July 12th.Number Prosecutors say that shortly after preparing to leave the United States, he met with hit men he believed would help him carry out the murders, but who were in fact undercover agents. He is currently in federal custody.
“Fortunately, the assassin Marchant allegedly attempted to hire was an undercover agent,” said Acting Deputy Director Christy Curtis of the FBI’s New York field office. “This case highlights the dedication and outstanding efforts of our agents, analysts and prosecutors in New York, Houston and Dallas. Their success in neutralizing this threat not only prevented a tragic outcome, but also reaffirms the FBI’s commitment to protecting our nation and its people from threats both domestic and foreign.”
“Working on behalf of others overseas, Marchant plotted to assassinate U.S. government officials on American soil,” said Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. “This prosecution demonstrates that this office, and the entire Department of Justice, will act swiftly and decisively to protect our nation’s security, government officials, and citizens from foreign threats.”
Prosecutors said Marchant arrived in New York City from Texas in April with the intent of hiring a hit man to kill a U.S. politician. Court documents said he contacted someone he believed could help him, but that person actually contacted the FBI and began working for the agency as a confidential source.
“The targets are those who are harming Pakistan and the world,” he was quoted as saying in court. [the] “The Islamic world. They are not normal people,” he said, and asked 25 men and one woman to act as “spies” who could stage protests to distract attention from the murders after they occurred, court documents state.
Additionally, Merchant met with the confidential source multiple times and stated that he wanted him to do three things: steal documents or USB drives from the victim’s home, organize a protest at a political rally, and carry out an assassination. During one particular meeting, he allegedly told the source that the job was not a one-time opportunity and made a “gun” gesture with his hand.
He also used coded language to communicate his plans, saying “T-shirt” meant “protest” and describing it as “the lightest job”.
“Flannel shirt” means “stealing”, “heavier work”, “fleece jacket” means the hardest work, and “third work…performing the act of game”, suggesting assassination.
The latest thwarted assassination plot adds to a growing list of detailed Iranian plans to kill President Trump, national security officials said.
Washington has repeatedly expressed concerns that Iran could try to kill 45 people in retaliation for the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the top commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).Number president.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have previously indicted other individuals on assassination attempts, including in 2022 a 45-year-old Iranian national and member of the Revolutionary Guard for allegedly trying to pay a U.S. individual $300,000 to assassinate former National Security Advisor John Bolton.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said Tuesday that the United States will not tolerate “authoritarian regimes’ attempts to target American public servants and endanger our national security.”
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