A Pakistani businessman with Iranian links was convicted on Friday for hiring a hitman to kill key political figures in the US during the 2024 presidential campaign. The person had been identified as Asif Merchant (47) and faced charges of terrorism and murder for hire after a week-long trial in Brooklyn.
During the trial, Merchant claimed that he was instructed to monitor the assassination from a contact linked to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), adding that no final target was specified. The accused mentioned that the handler instructed them to target US President Donald Trump, ex-President Joe Biden, and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, who was a candidate in the 2024 presidential race.
When Did The Planning Start?
Merchant entered the US from Pakistan in April 2024 after spending years in Iran. The same year in June, he contacted a person who he believed could help with the assassination plot, and that contact later reported him to the police.
He met with undercover US law enforcement officers who were posing as hitmen in New York, according to the US Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of New York, and law enforcement foiled the plot before any attack could be carried out. The plot was planned to avenge the 2020 death of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, the BBC quoted Merchant as saying.
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Merchant alleged that he had "no other option" but to follow the orders, as the handler claimed that he knew the family members and their residence. The interrogation also revealed that he intended to cooperate with the US government to obtain a green card.
The FBI's Investigation
The plot was uncovered when Merchant illustrated shooting at a political rally to one of his acquaintances, who then informed the authorities. The FBI agents then hatched a plan and met Merchant as hitmen. The investigators secretly recorded their conversations as well.
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According to the prosecutor, Merchant claimed that he wanted to assassinate a "political figure" and handed them 5000 dollars to commit the same, India Today reported.