New York, March 7: A Pakistani man has been convicted of conspiring to assassinate former U.S. President Donald Trump in collaboration with Iran. This ruling comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
A federal jury found Asif Merchant guilty on Friday. He was accused of attempting to hire a hitman to kill Trump and potentially other leaders. Prosecutors stated that he was acting under the direction of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The 47-year-old Pakistani national faces a life sentence. The plot was intended to unfold during the 2024 presidential campaign but was thwarted when the individual he approached for assistance turned out to be an FBI informant.
Following the verdict, FBI Director Kash Patel remarked, “The FBI and our partners have disrupted that deadly conspiracy.” This is not the first instance of Iran attempting to harm American citizens on U.S. soil; previous attempts have also been unsuccessful.
Merchant was arrested in July 2024 while trying to leave the U.S., and charges were filed against him the following month. U.S. Secretary of Defense stated that the mastermind behind this plot in Iran has been eliminated, although his name was not disclosed.
The trial, which began last week in a federal court in Brooklyn, had been scheduled long before the current conflict with Iran. Judge Eric Komitee, presiding over the case, noted the timing, saying, “This trial is occurring at an interesting moment.”
During the proceedings, Merchant admitted to his involvement in the conspiracy but claimed he acted out of fear for his family in Iran. He stated that he received espionage training from the IRGC and was given the names of two other potential targets: Joe Biden and Nikki Haley, in addition to Trump.
Merchant had two wives—one in Pakistan and another in Iran. He frequently traveled to Iran, where he was recruited by the IRGC. According to prosecutors, he began working for the IRGC in Pakistan in 2022 or 2023 and was sent to the U.S. at the end of 2023 to recruit new members.
Prosecutor Neena Gupta informed the court that Merchant used a clothing business as a front for his operations. His goal was to target individuals he deemed “against Pakistan and the Muslim world.”
He testified that his mission changed the following year, and he was sent back to the U.S. to arrange the theft of documents, organize protests, and facilitate the assassination of one of the three targeted leaders.
Prosecutors revealed that he contacted a familiar associate, Nadeem Ali, in New York, who was an FBI informant. Ali alerted the agency, leading undercover officers to pose as hitmen in the operation.
Merchant even made a $5,000 advance payment to the undercover officers for the assassination and was recorded sketching out the plot on a napkin in a hotel room in New York.
In a covert recording played in court, Merchant told the agents, “Maybe you can kill someone.” He suggested that it could be a political figure. Prosecutors also noted that he searched online for locations where Trump was holding rallies.
In an unrelated incident, just one day after Merchant’s arrest, a man attempted to shoot Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania, narrowly missing him.
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