A Pakistani alleged to have plotted to kill prominent politicians in the U.S. has now been charged with terrorism, according to court documents.
Asif Merchant, 46, is charged with attempting to commit an act of terrorism that transcends national boundaries as well as murder for hire, according to a court document released Tuesday.
A native of Pakistan with family in Iran, his target in the foiled plot was alleged to be a U.S. politician and official – possibly former President Donald Trump.
Tuesday’s court documents also detail the forfeiture of some of Merchant’s property, including three cellphones – two Androids and one iPhone – a laptop, and several thousand dollars in cash.
Asif Merchant, 46, is accused of trying to kill a political figure in the United States. He was let into the United States via immigration parole, federal law enforcement sources told Fox News. (Justice Department)
Merchan’s alleged plot included two hit men, 25 actors to stage a fake protest and create additional chaos around the time of the murder, and a woman who would take care of “reconnaissance.”
Prosecutors allege he hired two undercover FBI agents instead of assassins, but it’s unclear how much progress he made recruiting the other plotters.
Merchant, 46, also allegedly planned to steal documents and USB drives. But the man he thought was his primary accomplice alerted authorities and set him up with two undercover agents posing as the hit men.
An image taken of Asif Merchant, 46, during a meeting with a source. (DOJ)
Merchant first traveled to Iran and then the U.S., where he approached the confidential source, referred to in FBI documents as “CS.”
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Merchant, who pushed CS to establish a yarn-dyed clothing business as a front for their communications, also used clothing items as code words, according to the Justice Department.
Prosecutors say the money shown here is the $5,000 that Merchant is accused of giving to two undercover FBI agents he thought were hitmen. (Justice Department)
In yarn-dyed fabrics, the individual threads are colored before the piece is woven together. Merchant allegedly used fabric weights as code words for different parts of the crime.
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T-shirts referred to the “lightest work,” according to court documents. That would be the fake protest. Flannel shirts, a little heavier, meant stealing the documents. And a fleece jacket represented the “heaviest work” – murder.
Investigators said Tuesday that Merchant’s potential targets included people on “both sides” of the political aisle.
The actors were supposed to stage protests at political rallies, and Merchant allegedly asked CS to explain different scenarios of how the targets would die, according to court documents. The hit men were to be told of their official target at the end of August or first week of September.
Fox News’ Michael Ruiz contributed to this report
