An alleged Iranian agent, Asif Merchant, 46, has been charged with plotting to hire hitmen to assassinate U.S. government officials, potentially including former President Donald Trump, according to sources and a federal criminal complaint. Merchant, a Pakistani national, is accused of planning political assassinations in New York City in August or early September, and reportedly paid $5,000 in advance to individuals he believed to be contract killers, as confirmed by Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
“The Iranian indicted in the Eastern District today is 100% an agent of the Iranian government,” a law enforcement source told The Post.
Merchant’s alleged plot was reportedly in retaliation for the 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed prominent Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani, as confirmed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday.
Donald Trump, a known target of previous Iranian-backed assassination plots, was among the possible targets Merchant discussed with undercover agents, though the accused never specified names during their meetings. Instead, he cryptically described the target as someone who would have “a lot of security.”
The investigation highlights ongoing concerns about threats to high-profile U.S. officials from foreign agents, with law enforcement working to uncover any additional details related to the alleged assassination plot.
