Federal prosecutors have charged Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national with alleged ties to Iran, in a murder for hire plot of a U.S. politician or government officials.
Courtesy: Department of Justice
A Pakistani national with ties to Iran was charged in a foiled plot to assassinate U.S. government officials on American soil, the Department of Justice said Tuesday.
Former President Donald Trump was one of the potential targets of the plot by Asif Merchant, who was arrested before any attacks could be carried out, a senior law enforcement source told NBC News.
Trump was nearly killed at a presidential campaign rally last month, when a would-be assassin on a nearby rooftop fired at him while the Republican nominee was speaking onstage.
Law enforcement officials do not believe the alleged plot by Merchant is related to the assassination attempt against Trump at the rally in Pennsylvania, NBC reported.
Trump’s Secret Service protection was recently increased after U.S. officials learned of an Iranian plot to kill Trump, NBC News reported in mid-July. The former president’s security was heightened prior to the rally shooting.
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