Pak man convicted in US over Iran-linked plot to kill Trump, Biden; faces life sentence
India Today
Prosecutors said the plot was linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, though Tehran has denied involvement. The plan collapsed after Asif Merchant unknowingly approached undercover FBI agents while seeking hired killers.
A Pakistani businessman accused of attempting to hire assassins to kill a US political figure during the 2024 presidential campaign was convicted on Friday in a case that prosecutors said exposed an alleged Iran-linked plot on American soil.
A jury in Brooklyn found Asif Merchant, 47, guilty of terrorism and murder-for-hire charges following a week-long trial. He faces a possible life sentence.
Merchant testified during the trial that he had attempted to arrange an assassination on instructions from a contact he said was linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), though he said no final target was specified.
According to his testimony, the handler mentioned possible targets including US President Donald Trump, then-President Joe Biden and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, who was briefly in the 2024 presidential race.
Iran has denied any involvement in attempts to assassinate US officials.
The alleged plot began to unravel after Merchant outlined his plan to an acquaintance, using objects placed on a napkin to illustrate how a shooting at a political rally could be carried out.
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