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Pakistani national Asif Merchant was found guilty in a U.S. court Friday for conspiring to assassinate President Donald Trump and other high-profile American officials, with ties to Iran, according to the Department of Justice. Merchant acknowledged during the trial his involvement with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps but claimed he was acting under duress to protect his family in Tehran.
He was accused of attempting to recruit individuals within the United States for a scheme targeting Trump and others as retaliation for Washington’s 2020 killing of Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani, during Trump’s first term. Federal prosecutors reported that the plot also aimed at then-President Joe Biden and Nikki Haley, who challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination that year.
The DOJ stated Merchant was convicted of “murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism crossing international borders,” with the plot allegedly directed by Iranian authorities. The trial took place in Brooklyn, New York, just days before Trump authorized a military strike on Iran in collaboration with Israel, which has escalated into the region’s largest conflict in years.
Merchant claimed he was never explicitly ordered to kill a specific individual but mentioned that his Iranian handler listed three potential targets during conversations in Tehran. Law enforcement intercepted the plot before any attacks could occur. An individual contacted by Merchant in April 2024, who reported his activities, later became a confidential informant for authorities.
Merchant was arrested that same year and pleaded not guilty. Tehran has denied any involvement or intent to target Trump or other U.S. officials.
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