"Merchant, 47, is on trial in Brooklyn Federal Court for murder-for-hire and terrorism related charges, accused of trying to mastermind a political assassination but getting tricked by a confidential informant into hiring two undercover feds as hitmen."
"On Tuesday, FBI special agent Jacqueline Smith told jurors that Merchant admitted his cousin worked for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and that Merchant had an IRGC handler. The cousin provided Merchant the $5,000 he used to make a down-payment on the 'hitmen' in his plot."
"Well before the recent attack that killed Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni, the feds have said Iran had wanted to avenge the death of one of the regime's generals, Qasem Soleimani, killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2020."
Asif Merchant, 47, faces murder-for-hire and terrorism charges in Brooklyn Federal Court for allegedly attempting to mastermind a political assassination. Court filings suggest the target was Donald Trump during the 2024 campaign. Merchant was caught after being tricked by a confidential informant into hiring two undercover federal agents as hitmen. During his trial, FBI testimony revealed that Merchant admitted to having an Iranian intelligence handler and a cousin working for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The cousin provided $5,000 for the plot's down payment, with Merchant stating he would repay through his IRGC handler. These connections emerged after Merchant's defense team questioned his ties to intelligence operatives.
#iranian-intelligence-operations #assassination-plot #terrorism-charges #us-national-security #federal-prosecution
Read at New York Daily News
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