A Pakistani national, Asif Merchant, was convicted on Friday in the United States for allegedly plotting to kill President Donald Trump and other prominent American politicians, directed by Iran, according to the US Department of Justice.
Merchant acknowledged during his trial he had joined the plot with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran. However, he explained that his actions were coerced into protecting his family in Tehran.
The alleged plan involved recruiting people within the United States as part of a retaliation strategy following the assassination of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani by US forces in 2020, when Trump was in his first term.
Federal prosecutors cited targets under this plot to include then-President Joe Biden and Nikki Haley, who competed for the Republican presidential nomination that year alongside Trump. Merchant had admitted he did not have orders for specific individuals to be killed but his Iranian handler mentioned three people during conversations held in Tehran.
The trial began last week in Brooklyn’s New York City borough, just days after President Trump ordered an assault on Iran, which has escalated into a regional conflict with Israel and others that continues today. Despite the plan’s inception before the war began, law enforcement successfully thwarted it, preventing any attacks from occurring.
A confidant Merchant had contacted in April 2024 to aid in the plot reported his activities to authorities, transforming into a confidential informant. At the time of the allegations, Merchant was arrested and pleaded not guilty, with Iran having previously denied targeting Trump or other US officials.
This conviction marks a significant development in international terrorism plots against American leaders, underlining complex geopolitical interactions between nations involved in both planning and suppression.