Pakistani Immigrant Allegedly Plotted to Hire Hitmen for Assassination of Former President Trump and US Politicians

A Pakistani immigrant with alleged ties to Iran, Asif Merchant, has been accused of planning to hire hitmen to assassinate former President Donald Trump and other US politicians. The information comes from federal sources and a criminal complaint filed against Merchant. According to the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, Merchant planned political assassinations in New York City, targeting Trump and other officials in August or early September. He allegedly paid men he believed to be contract killers an advance payment of $5,000.

Sources familiar with the investigation revealed that Trump was among several current and former US government officials considered potential targets of the plot. Merchant traveled to New York in June to meet with individuals he believed were hitmen, but were actually undercover law enforcement officers. During the meeting, he informed them that he was arranging funds with a contact overseas. Days later, Merchant provided the cash in advance and allegedly confirmed to the undercover agents that they were moving forward with the plot.

Merchant was arrested in July, just as he was preparing to leave the US. Prosecutors discovered that he had a wife and children living in Iran, as well as another wife and children residing in Pakistan. One of his homes was located in Tehran, the capital of Iran.

The alleged plot, believed to be backed by Iran, played a role in the Secret Service’s decision to enhance former President Trump’s security detail before the attempted assassination in July. However, authorities have clarified that the Iranian-tied plot is unrelated to the assassination attempt on Trump’s life by Thomas Crooks, who opened fire from a rooftop in Butler, Pennsylvania.