Posted: Tuesday, August 6, 2024. 2:38 pm CST.
By Breaking Belize News Staff: Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national with alleged ties to Iran, was charged with plotting to assassinate former President Donald Trump and other public officials, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court.
Although Trump is not named in the complaint, sources confirm he was among the intended targets, ABC news reports.
Merchant, 46, was arrested on July 12, just before Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Prosecutors say Merchant traveled from Iran to the U.S. to recruit hitmen, contacting a confidential informant in the process.
The informant reported Merchant’s plans, leading to his arrest.
“Specifically, Merchant requested men who could do the killing, approximately 25 people who could perform a protest as a distraction after the murder occurred, and a woman to do ‘reconnaissance,’” the complaint said.
Merchant even paid the apparent hitmen $5,000 as an advance on the assassinations before making plans to leave the country when the killings took place.
Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the Justice Department’s commitment to countering threats from Iran and safeguarding U.S. officials.
Merchant’s arrest follows an investigation into possible links between his plot and a recent attack on Trump, though no direct connection has been found.
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Posted: Tuesday, August 6, 2024. 2:38 pm CST. By Breaking Belize News Staff: Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national with alleged ties to Iran, was charged with
The post International News: Pakistani national charged in plot to assassinate Trump and other U.S. officials appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
