A federal complaint unsealed on Tuesday in Brooklyn has charged Asif Merchant, also known as “Asif Raza Merchant,” a 46-year-old Pakistani national, with murder-for-hire in connection with a foiled assassination plot targeting a politician or U.S. government officials on American soil.
The plot was thwarted by law enforcement before any attack could be executed. Merchant is currently in federal custody in New York, according to the press release.
FBI investigators believe that the intended targets of the plot included Trump and other current and former U.S. government officials, according to a U.S. official briefed on the matter, per CNN.
According to court documents, Merchant allegedly orchestrated a plan to assassinate U.S. officials after traveling from Iran to the United States in April 2024. Upon arriving in New York City, he contacted an individual he believed could assist him with his scheme. This individual reported Merchant’s intentions to law enforcement and became a confidential source (CS).
In early June, during a meeting with the CS, Merchant outlined his assassination plot and indicated that this opportunity would not be a one-time event. He made a gesture resembling a gun with his hand while discussing the killing and specified that the targets would be “here,” referring to the United States.
Merchant’s plan included various criminal activities: stealing documents from a target’s residence, organizing protests, and ultimately assassinating a political figure or government official. He expressed concerns about security measures surrounding potential targets and discussed multiple scenarios for carrying out the assassination.
In mid-June, Merchant met with individuals he believed were hitmen but were actually undercover FBI agents (UCs). During these meetings, he sought their services for theft and assassination and indicated that he would provide instructions on whom to kill after leaving the U.S.
Merchant arranged to pay $5,000 in cash as an advance for the assassination services and successfully delivered this payment on June 21. Following this transaction, he made plans to leave the country on July 12, 2024, one day after Trump’s assassination attempt. However, law enforcement intervened and arrested him before he could depart.
It can be recalled that CNN reported that the Trump campaign was made aware of an Iranian assassination plot against Trump before Saturday’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
According to the report, Secret Service ramped up security after receiving intel about the assassination plot.
Saturday’s would-be assassin, Thomas Matthew Crooks, had no connection to the Iranian assassination plot, according to CNN.
“Secret Service learned of the increased threat from this threat stream,” the official told CNN. “NSC directly contacted USSS at a senior level to be absolutely sure they continued to track the latest reporting. USSS shared this information with the detail lead, and the Trump campaign was made aware of an evolving threat. In response to the increased threat, Secret Service surged resources and assets for the protection of former President Trump. All of this was in advance of Saturday.”
