A Pakistani man who allegedly had connections with Iran was convicted on Friday for planning to assassinate Donald Trump or other U.S. officials, prosecutors said, as revenge for the American military’s killing of Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani.
A Pakistani man with alleged links to Iran was found guilty on Friday of plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump or other US officials to avenge the killing of Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani by US forces, prosecutors said.
During the trial in a Brooklyn federal court, prosecutors proved that Asif Reza Merchant allegedly tried to hire a hitman to assassinate a politician or government official in the US.
Soleimani, the head of Iran’s foreign military operations, was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020. Iranian officials have repeatedly vowed to avenge his killing.
During his trial on Wednesday, Merchant testified that he was forced to join the plot to protect his family from the Guards in Tehran, the capital, and several media outlets reported that he believed he would be captured before anyone was killed.
He said he was never ordered to kill a specific individual, but he did say his Iranian contact had mentioned three people in connection with the plot: President Trump, former President Joe Biden, and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.
A spokesperson for the lawyers told AFP that Merchant will be tried at an unconfirmed future date after being convicted on both counts he faced – transnational terrorism and murder for hire. He could face life in prison.
Merchant’s trial comes at a time when the US and Israel are pursuing attacks on Iran, including the one that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
US officials previously said Merchant had “close ties to Iran” and described his alleged plot as “taken directly from the Iranian government’s playbook.”
Washington has stated its goal is to prevent nuclear and missile threats from Tehran, but it has also overthrown the country’s government, and President Donald Trump is now demanding “unconditional surrender.”
Merchant was arrested on July 12, 2024, while planning to leave the country.