An attempt by a Pakistani man with ties to the Iranian government to carry out a political assassination in the United States was being investigated weeks before a gunman tried to kill former President Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
Federal prosecutors said in the 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 US officials, possibly including President Trump, according to the complaint.
“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 Department of Justice, and the entire U.S. Department of Justice, will act swiftly and decisively to protect our nation’s security, government officials, and people from foreign threats.”
Asif Merchant, 46, is accused of trying to assassinate a US politician. (Ministry of Justice)
Authorities said Merchant was arrested on July 12 as he was preparing to leave the United States. He told investigators he had a wife and children in Iran and Pakistan.
“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 country and its people from threats both domestic and foreign.”
Federal sources told Fox News Digital that Marchant’s thwarted plot had no connection to the shooting of Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, and that investigators said targets included people “on both sides,” not just Trump.
Prosecutors said Merchant arrived in New York City from Texas in April with the intent of hiring a hit man to kill a U.S. politician. He contacted someone he believed could help him, who then contacted the FBI and began working for the agency as a confidential source, court documents said.
Asif Merchant, 46, is pictured here during a meeting with intelligence sources. (Ministry of Justice)
“The targets are those who are harming Pakistan and the world,” Merchant reportedly told the court. [the] “The Islamic world. They are not normal people,” he said. He requested 25 men who could stage protests to distract attention after the murders and one woman to act as “scouts,” according to court documents.
Merchant met with the informant several times and said he wanted him to do three things: steal documents and USB drives from victims’ homes, organize protests at political rallies, and carry out assassinations. During one meeting, he allegedly told the informant that the job would not be a one-time thing and made a “gun” gesture with his hand.
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During the meeting, Merchant spoke about a “party” back home that he was working with, planning several scenarios, and used code words to communicate his plans: “T-shirts” meant “protest,” and Merchant described this as “the lightest job.”
“Flannel shirt” means “stealing”, “heavier labor”, “fleece jacket” means the hardest labor, “third labor…performing the act of game”, and so on, referring to assassination.
The phrase “denim jacket” means “send money.”
