Authored by Chase Smith via The Epoch Times,
A Pakistani individual with suspected connections to Iran has been indicted for his involvement in a thwarted scheme to assassinate a politician or U.S. government officials on American soil. The Department of Justice (DOJ) unveiled the charges against Asif Merchant, also known as “Asif Raza Merchant,” 46, for murder-for-hire in a plot targeting public figures within the United States. Merchant, who is currently in federal custody in New York, was apprehended as part of a coordinated effort led by multiple FBI field offices and the New York City Police Department.
The arrest of Merchant highlights the DOJ’s commitment to thwarting Iran’s retaliatory actions against American officials, particularly following the death of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on January 3, 2020, under the Trump administration. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized the Justice Department’s dedication to disrupting and holding accountable those involved in Iran’s lethal plots against American citizens.
Merchant, a citizen of Pakistan with ties to Iran, allegedly attempted to hire hitmen for the assassinations, employing operational security measures to avoid detection. He outlined various criminal activities, including theft of documents, organizing protests, and the assassination plot, using coded language in discussions. In June, Merchant met with individuals he believed to be hitmen, who were actually undercover FBI agents, to plan the logistics of the assassination.
Despite providing an advance payment and planning instructions for the assassination, law enforcement intervened and arrested Merchant before he could leave the country in mid-July. The DOJ commended the FBI’s successful operation in neutralizing the threat posed by Merchant’s scheme. The complaint against Merchant also revealed his intent to recruit individuals for different roles in the plot, with further instructions conveyed in coded language.
The DOJ stressed the importance of maintaining confidentiality during the investigation to prevent suspects from fleeing or tampering with evidence. The unsealed indictment sheds light on the elaborate entrapment operation orchestrated by law enforcement to intercept the planned assassination on American soil.
[ZH: We have one question:]
Of course this is not the first Iranian-linked assassin on the loose in America.
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