The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday that the man, identified as an “Iranian agent,” and two others in the greater New York area were suspected of assassinations that prosecutors said were “actively targeting nationals of the United States and its allies.” An indictment was released against. This includes President-elect Donald Trump.
The indictment identifies four victims, including Trump, an alleged co-conspirator. They include the president-elect, an unnamed Iranian dissident, and two unnamed Jewish Americans. The defendant is Farhad Shakeri, who has been identified as an “Iranian asset” and maintains ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), a branch of the Iranian military that President Trump designated as a foreign terrorist organization in 2019. It is said that
Shakeri, who remains at large and is believed to be in Iran, reportedly told American law enforcement officials that he had been asked by the Revolutionary Guards to plan to assassinate Trump, but that the deadline had passed. There is. The Revolutionary Guards then allegedly planned to kill President Trump until after the 2024 presidential election, in the hopes that he would lose the presidential election and with it the loss of critical security. .
Instead, Trump won Tuesday's election in a landslide, becoming the second president in American history to be elected to two non-consecutive terms.
The Iranian government, an Islamist terrorist regime, attacked President Trump and several officials from his first administration in response to the airstrike that took out Qasem Soleimani, then commander of the Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, in 2020. We have long insisted that we would prosecute. is the external terrorism arm of the Revolutionary Guards, and Soleimani was responsible for hundreds of American deaths and deaths around the world. The Revolutionary Guards reportedly released a video threatening Trump's life shortly after the election.
According to indictmentbased on testimony from FBI agents, the three people involved in the conspiracy with Iran are Shakeri and two New Yorkers, Carlyle “Pop” Rivera and Jonathan Rodholt, who are still at large. It is believed the men met in prison. Shakeri served 14 years in a US prison for robbery and was deported in 2008.
“The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran actively targets nationals of the United States and its allies in countries around the world with attacks that include assault, kidnapping, and murder,” the indictment states. . Much of the evidence focuses on the stalking and intimidation of “Victim-1,” the Iranian opposition report said. identified It could possibly be women's rights activist Maci Alinejad. The FBI revealed communications between the suspects that showed Shakeri paying others to stalk “Victim-1” at public events and at her home, without being arrested. It was revealed that Shekeli was dissatisfied because he had little opportunity to kill easily.
The question of a possible assassination of President Trump arose amid Shakeri's alleged participation in a meeting with law enforcement. Mr. Shakeri claimed to have been in contact with and acting on the orders of an anonymous Revolutionary Guards agent, but in September the agent said that he had “put aside other activities for the Revolutionary Guards and was working with the former president. “to concentrate on surveillance and ultimately assassination.” The state, Donald J. Trump. ”
The Revolutionary Guards terrorist reportedly said that “money was not an issue” in arranging the resources to kill him. He allegedly asked Shakeri to come up with a plan to kill President Trump within a week. Otherwise, the Revolutionary Guards terrorist reportedly said, “The Revolutionary Guards will abandon the plan to kill Victim-4.” [Trump] This is because until after the US presidential election, IRGC Official I had determined that Victim 4 would lose the election and that it would be easier to assassinate Victim 4 thereafter. ”
The three defendants face a series of criminal charges, including murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and money laundering. Shakeri is also charged with aiding and abetting a foreign terrorist organization and violating sanctions against Iran, as he is suspected of having direct ties to the Revolutionary Guards.
“The charges announced today represent a brazen attempt by Iran to target American citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump, other government leaders, and dissidents who criticize the regime in Tehran,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. “This exposes that he continues to do so.” statement to reporters on Friday. “The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, a designated foreign terrorist organization, conspires with criminals and killers to target and shoot Americans on U.S. soil, and this is completely unacceptable.”
“Forces directed by the Iranian government continue to target our citizens, including President-elect Trump, both on U.S. soil and abroad, and this must stop,” added Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Ta. “Today’s indictment is another message to those who continue our efforts. We will continue to relentlessly pursue bad actors, no matter where they live, and bring to justice those who harm our safety and security. I will do whatever it takes.”
Iran's terrorist regime has repeatedly threatened to kill President Trump, often citing Soleimani's removal. In late 2020, the administration claimed it would “indict” President Trump for the bombing. In December 2023, Iran demanded payment from the US government 50 billion dollars Compensation for Soleimani attack.
At Soleimani's funeral, speakers tried to crowdsource $80 million to put a bounty on Trump's life.
“If everyone around the world, on behalf of all Iranians, 80 million Iranians, supported our efforts in Mashhad, and each person contributed $1, that would equal $80 million. ” the speaker said in the funeral video.
This week, a video was released purporting to be IRGC surfaced On social media, the state terrorist organization promised to “end” the failed assassination attempt on Trump in July.
