A federal jury on Friday convicted an Iranian government operative who traveled to the United States to orchestrate the assassination of President Donald Trump and other American officials.
Jurors found Asif Merchant, whom authorities say worked for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), guilty of murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries, according to the press release. Prosecutors said Merchant entered the United States in April 2024 and began laying the groundwork for political assassinations before law enforcement dismantled the plot.
Merchant admitted during trial testimony that the IRGC sent him to the United States to recruit criminals capable of carrying out the killings and to steal sensitive materials. The plot came to light after an acquaintance in New York alerted authorities and agreed to cooperate with investigators.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the conviction shows the federal government’s commitment to stopping foreign-sponsored terrorism targeting the United States.
“This man landed on American soil hoping to kill President Trump — instead, he was met with the might of American law enforcement,” Bondi said. “The Department of Justice will remain ever-vigilant to protect Americans, prosecute terrorists, and halt acts of terrorism before they happen.”
Merchant began working with the IRGC in Pakistan in late 2022 or early 2023, where he received training in espionage tradecraft and countersurveillance techniques, according to trial testimony and evidence presented to jurors, the Department of Justice said. He later traveled repeatedly to Iran to meet with a handler directing the operation.
In 2024, the IRGC tasked Merchant with returning to the United States to recruit members of organized crime groups to carry out multiple operations — including stealing documents, staging protests and assassinating one of three American political figures. Merchant contacted a New York acquaintance he believed could help arrange the scheme. Instead, the individual reported the plan to law enforcement and began cooperating as a confidential source.
During a meeting in early June, Merchant described the operation and indicated the opportunity involved killing a political figure. Prosecutors said he used a “finger gun” gesture while discussing the assassination plot and explained that the target would be attacked inside the United States despite heavy security.
Merchant then asked the cooperating source to arrange meetings with hitmen who could execute the operation. Those supposed assassins turned out to be undercover U.S. law enforcement officers. At a subsequent meeting in mid-June, Merchant told the undercover operatives he wanted three services: stealing documents from a target’s residence, staging protests at political rallies and killing a “political person.”
He said the identity of the victim would come later after he left the United States and communicated instructions through coded messages. Investigators said Merchant conducted online research about political rallies and relayed information about security arrangements to his IRGC handler. The plot advanced further when Merchant arranged to pay the operatives $5,000 as an advance payment for the assassination.
Prosecutors said he delivered the money during a June 21 meeting in New York, sealing what he believed was a contract killing. After receiving the payment, one undercover officer told Merchant, “Now we’re bonded.” Authorities arrested Merchant on July 12, 2024, as he prepared to leave the United States.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the conviction highlights ongoing threats posed by the Iranian regime.
“Merchant tried to hire someone to kill a politician or a U.S. government official, but the FBI and our partners stopped that deadly plot,” Patel said. “Let this verdict serve as a reminder that the FBI is committed to detecting such threats and preventing acts of violence.”
Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg said the operation directly targeted the U.S. political system.
“Merchant entered the United States intending to commit acts of terror and ultimately to facilitate the assassination of U.S. government officials, including President Trump,” Eisenberg said. “His plot struck at the heart of our democracy and our commitment to the rule of law.”
Merchant faces up to life in prison.
This is not Iran’s first assassination attempt against Trump. In 2024, U.S. authorities received intelligence from a human source indicating Tehran was plotting to kill the president, prompting the Secret Service to increase security around him in the weeks before the shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., though officials said the threat had no known connection to gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks.
That same year, three men were charged in connection with an Iran-linked effort tied to assassination plots against Trump and other critics of Tehran. Authorities arrested Carlisle Rivera and Jonathon Loadholt in New York, while Iranian national Farhad Shakeri remains at large in Iran.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screen Capture/CSPAN)
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