"Asif Merchant was accused of trying to recruit people in the US in a plan targeting Trump and others in retaliation for the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Suleimani in 2020, during Trump's first term as president. Targets in the 2024 plot, federal prosecutors said, also included the then president Joe Biden and Nikki Haley, the former ambassador to the UN who ran against Trump that year for the Republican presidential nomination."
"Merchant was convicted of murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, directed by the Iranian authorities, the US department of justice said in a statement. Merchant admitted to joining the plot orchestrated by Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) but testified he did so unwillingly in order to protect his family in Tehran."
"Law enforcement thwarted the plan before any attack occurred. A person Merchant contacted in April 2024 to help with the plot reported his activities and became a confidential informant, the DOJ said. Merchant was arrested and pleaded not guilty that year."
Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national, was convicted of murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries. He was accused of attempting to recruit people in the US to carry out a plot targeting Trump, then-President Joe Biden, and Nikki Haley. The plan was orchestrated by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in retaliation for the 2020 killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Suleimani. Merchant admitted to joining the plot but claimed he did so unwillingly to protect his family in Tehran. Law enforcement thwarted the plan when a person Merchant contacted in April 2024 reported his activities and became a confidential informant. Tehran has denied accusations of targeting US officials.
#iran-us-tensions #assassination-plot #terrorism-conviction #qassem-suleimani-retaliation #irgc-operations
Read at www.theguardian.com
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