Who is Asif Merchant, the Pakistani with Iran link booked for Trump assassination plot in US?

By Aishwarya Nair | First Published Aug 7, 2024, 8:57 AM IST

Asif Raza Merchant, a 46-year-old Pakistani man, has been charged with murder-for-hire in a federal court in Brooklyn for plotting to assassinate a US politician or government official. Law enforcement foiled the plot before any attack occurred.

A 46-year-old Pakistani national, Asif Merchant, faces charges from the US Department of Justice for allegedly conspiring to murder American politicians and government officials on US soil. According to prosecutors in Brooklyn, Merchant traveled to New York with the intention of recruiting a contract killer to carry out the planned assassinations, however the plot was thwarted before it could be executed.

This is Pakistani National Asif Merchant with ties to Iran who has been arrested in United States for a plot to assassinate former US President Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/BRhTBcKZHi

— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul)

Although the document didn't specify any potential targets, CNN sources suggest that former President Donald Trump and other current and former US officials may have been in the crosshairs of the alleged plot. This comes after a recent attempt on Trump's life at a Pennsylvania rally, where the shooter, Thomas Crooks, was fatally shot. Meanwhile, US officials have long warned of Iran's simmering desire for revenge over the 2020 drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's Quds Force, which was authorized by Trump.

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Who is Asif Merchant?

Asif Raza Merchant iss charged in Brooklyn for his alleged role in a murder-for-hire scheme aimed at assassinating a US politician or government official on American soil. Fortunately, law enforcement authorities were able to disrupt the plot before any harm was done, preventing a potential attack from being carried out.

Merchant, who has mentioned having a wife and children in both Iran and Pakistan, is currently in federal custody in New York.

US Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York stated that Merchant, working on behalf of others abroad, planned to murder US government officials on American soil. Court documents reveal that Merchant orchestrated a plot to assassinate a politician or US officials within the United States. In early June, Merchant met with the confidential informant in New York and detailed his assassination plan. He indicated to the informant that the opportunity he was offering was not a one-time event but would be ongoing. Merchant made a "finger gun" gesture with his hand to suggest the opportunity involved a killing and mentioned that the intended victims would be "targeted here," meaning within the United States.

Merchant instructed the informant to set up meetings with others who could be hired to execute his plans. He detailed that his plot included several criminal activities, such as stealing documents or USB drives from a target's home, organizing a protest, and assassinating a politician or government official. During the meeting, Merchant began devising potential assassination scenarios and questioned the informant on methods for killing a target in each of these scenarios.

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