A Pakistani man was convicted Friday of plotting to kill former President Donald Trump and other senior U.S. politicians in a 2024 scheme directed by Iran, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Prosecutors said Asif Merchant tried to recruit people in the United States to carry out attacks in retaliation for Washington’s 2020 killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani. Other named targets in the 2024 plot included then-President Joe Biden and Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley.
Merchant was found guilty of murder-for-hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, charges the DOJ said were tied to direction from Iranian authorities. His trial began last week in federal court in Brooklyn, New York.
Merchant acknowledged involvement with a plot linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps but testified he participated under duress to protect family members in Tehran. He said he was not given a direct order to kill a specific person, though he testified his Iranian handler mentioned three individuals during conversations in Tehran.
Law enforcement interdicted the plot before any attack took place. The DOJ said a person Merchant contacted in April 2024 reported him to authorities and became a confidential informant, leading to Merchant’s arrest. He had pleaded not guilty after his arrest that year.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards play a central military, economic and intelligence role in Tehran. Iran has denied targeting Trump or other U.S. officials, the DOJ noted.
The conviction comes amid a broader, escalating conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran. U.S. and Israeli strikes since Saturday have, according to Iran’s U.N. ambassador, killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and wounded thousands; the ambassador also said many top Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have been killed. The U.S. military reported six of its service members were killed in a strike on a facility in Kuwait, and Israeli authorities said at least 10 civilians have died across Israel.
