A Pakistani man with ties to the Iranian government has been charged with plotting political assassinations that may have targeted Donald Trump.
Asif Merchant, 46, is accused of working with an undercover officer posing as a hitman who would carry out the killings after traveling to New York.
The Justice Department says it aimed to target high-ranking U.S. officials in August and September.
The investigation took place weeks before Trump was shot at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Asif Merchant, 46, is accused of working with a hitman to carry out murders after traveling to New York.
The former president’s team had been warned that he had been a potential target of assassination plots with links to Tehran.
Iranian officials have publicly expressed their desire to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani.
The threat provided additional security ahead of an unrelated assassination attempt at Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Merchant is accused of flying from Pakistan to the United States to try to recruit accomplices for his deadly plot.
Merchant also paid $5,000 in cash to an undercover agent after a meeting in Manhattan, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors say Merchant planned his deadly plot with scribbles on a napkin
The images show the notes he made on one of the napkins, which was recovered during the investigation.
News of the shocking alleged plot comes after an unrelated attempt on Trump’s life
He also paid $5,000 in cash to an undercover agent after a meeting in Manhattan and laid out his plans on a napkin, prosecutors said.
The indictment reveals that he traveled frequently to Iraq, Syria and Iran.
When he was in the United States, he contacted a person who he believed could help him in his sinister plans.
The individual subsequently contacted authorities and became a confidential informant.
Federal officials said his wife and children lived in Iran and that he had traveled to Iran, Syria and Iraq.
In a statement, Attorney General Merrick Garland said: “The Department of Justice will spare no resources to disrupt and hold accountable those who attempt to carry out Iran’s deadly conspiracy against American citizens and will not tolerate an authoritarian regime’s attempts to target American public officials and jeopardize U.S. national security.”
The charges come amid renewed scrutiny of the Secret Service amid what has been deemed a massive security failure after a shooter was able to shoot Trump during his rally last month.
Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned following the shooting.
It also comes amid fears of a widening conflict in the Middle East, with the Pentagon sending additional forces to the region to prevent an escalation amid expectations that Iran will continue to attack Israel and as its proxies continue to fire on US military positions in the region.
