Asif Raza Merchant, a Pakistani individual with reported ties to Iran, has been charged by U.S. federal authorities for his alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate U.S. government officials, potentially including former President Donald Trump, according to the Justice Department.
The scheme by Merchant, supposedly a retribution for the 2020 killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, was thwarted by undercover FBI agents who acted as hitmen.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland states, “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.”
Although court documents do not specifically identify the potential victims and suggest that Merchant planned to choose his targets later in the summer, sources have indicated that former President Trump was among the intended victims.
Merchant, aged 46, came to the United States from Pakistan in April 2024, following a two-week stay in Iran. As per U.S. Attorney Breon Peace of the Eastern District of New York, Merchant aimed to enlist hitmen to execute the assassinations.
Merchant’s intentions reached the FBI when he made contact with a person he thought could help in recruiting hitmen. This person, a confidential informant, immediately informed law enforcement of Merchant’s plans.
FBI Director Christopher Wray described the murder-for-hire plot as typical of Iranian tactics, underscoring the continuous threat from Iran’s attempts to retaliate against U.S. officials.
Merchant’s scheme was not limited to assassination. He also considered various illegal activities, such as theft and organizing protests as diversions. He used a “finger gun” gesture when explaining his plans, indicating that the attacks were intended to be “ongoing” and not a one-time occurrence. During meetings with undercover agents, Merchant drafted potential assassination plans on napkins and questioned the agents on how they would carry out the killings.
The informant who reported Merchant’s activities played a crucial role in uncovering the plot. A covert operation was quickly launched, and Merchant met with undercover agents several times, elaborating his plans and making payments to further the plot. Believing the agents to be hitmen, Merchant gave them an upfront payment of $5,000.
Merchant was arrested while preparing to exit the U.S. on July 12, 2024. The timing of his arrest was crucial, as authorities believed the assassination attempt could have taken place as early as late August or early September. Court documents reveal that Merchant had coordinated with an unidentified party abroad, who instructed him to finalize the plans before leaving the U.S.
The indictment raised significant concerns about the safety of former President Trump and other U.S. officials. The Secret Service increased Trump’s security detail in response to the exposure of Merchant’s plot. Nonetheless, this scheme is unrelated to the separate assassination attempt on Trump by Thomas Crooks in Butler, Pennsylvania, which happened a day after Merchant’s arrest.
Reiterating the Justice Department’s commitment to tackling such threats, Attorney General Garland stated, “The Justice Department will spare no resource to disrupt and hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran’s lethal plotting against American citizens.”
The investigation also shed light on Merchant’s personal life, bringing another dimension to the case. He has two wives and children living in both Iran and Pakistan, demonstrating his close connections to the region. One of his residences is in Tehran, Iran, adding to the geopolitical complexity of the plot.