The Justice Department has charged a Pakistani man who traveled to New York and Houston with planning the political assassination of US officials.
Asif Raza Merchant, 46, was arrested on July 12 and has been accused by federal prosecutors of having close ties with Iran’s government.
The Justice Department said he’d planned to hire hitmen to carry out the assassinations, as well as a woman who would perform “reconnaissance” and 25 people who would stage a protest as a distraction after the killings.
The DOJ’s complaint, unsealed on Tuesday, did not mention who Merchant was targeting. But CNN and Reuters reported, each citing an anonymous source familiar with the matter, that authorities believed former President Donald Trump was one of those under threat.
A 20-year-old gunman had tried to kill Trump on July 13 — a day after Merchant was arrested — in Butler, Pennsylvania. No evidence has been revealed to suggest that the attack was linked to Merchant.
While the DOJ did not explicitly say Merchant was working with Iran, FBI Director Christopher Wray said the case was “straight out of the Iranian playbook.”
Multiple other officials, including the FBI Special Agent in charge of Merchant’s case, also referenced Iran’s threats against the US government in the statement and court documents.
The US has been concerned about retaliation from Iran for a 2020 drone strike under Trump’s order that killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani, a top leader in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Iran’s Mission to the United Nations and Ministry for Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.
Merchant’s plans, as told by the DOJ
Prosecutors said Merchant had spent time in Iran before arriving in the US in April and also frequently traveled to Syria and Iraq. Officials also said he mentioned having a wife and children in Iran.
According to the criminal complaint filed against him, Merchant said he intended to target “the ones who are hurting Pakistan and the world, Muslim world.”
His first stop was Houston, where he contacted a person under the pretense of wanting to start a business, according to the document.
However, that unnamed person suspected something was amiss and went to law enforcement, becoming an informant.
Investigators said Merchant then flew to New York that month to meet with the informant, saying the latter could make up to $100,000 for their help with his plans. To show his intention, Merchant made a “finger gun” motion with his hand, per prosecutors.
The informant later introduced Merchant to two men whom he thought were prospective hitmen, but were actually undercover cops, according to prosecutors.
The document said he introduced himself as a “representative” of parties abroad and implied that he was taking instructions to “finalize” his plans and leave the US.
Prosecutors said Merchant met multiple times with the undercover officers, asking them to speak in code.
He said he would likely relay instructions to them through a secure cellphone in August or September 2024 and gave them $5,000 in cash as an advance payment, per the criminal complaint.
The DOJ added that Merchant had also asked the men to steal documents, arrange the fake protest, and launder money.
Officials said he was arrested in Texas after returning to the state to fly out of the US, where his briefcase was found to contain a note detailing all of his code words. Merchant is in federal custody, and the FBI is investigating the case, officials said.
CNN reported that before the Butler rally assassination attempt, officials had passed this intelligence obtained from Merchant to the Secret Service.
Trump’s campaign was previously reported to have received enhanced security after obtaining information about an Iranian plot to kill the former president.
The fact that a young gunman was still able to fire on Trump at the rally prompted questions about protection efforts for the former president.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.
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