Pakistani with ties to Iran charged in plot to carry out political assassinations in US
- US prosecutors said Asif Merchant, 46, orchestrated a plot to kill an unidentified politician or US government officials
A Pakistani man alleged to have ties to Iran has been charged in a plot to carry out political assassinations on US soil, the Justice Department said on Tuesday in disclosing what officials say is the latest murder-for-hire plot originating from abroad to target American public figures.
Asif Merchant travelled to New York in June for the purpose of meeting men he thought he could recruit to carry out the killing, even paying a US$5,000 advance to two would-be assassins who were actually undercover police officers, federal officials said.
He was arrested last month as he prepared to leave the US and after having told the men that he would provide further instructions, including the name of the intended targets, in August or September after his return to Pakistan.
That July 13 shooting, carried out by a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man, was unrelated to the Iran threat and Merchant’s arrest has no connection to the Trump assassination attempt, a law enforcement official said.
