An Afghan man accused of masterminding a foiled murder-for-hire plot against Donald Trump has been deported from the United States after serving prison time.
Farhad Shakeri, 51, served 14 years in prison for robbery before being released in 2008.
The accused terrorist was later deported and became an asset for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Justice Department said.
Shakeri has been charged along with New Yorkers Carlisle Rivera, also known as Pop, 49, of Brooklyn, and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, of Staten Island, with an elaborate murder plot on behalf of Tehran.
They are accused of trying to assassinate Trump, as well as Iranian-American activist Masih Alinejad and two Jewish businessmen living in the United States. Two other unnamed accomplices were identified but have not been charged.
An Afghan man accused of masterminding a foiled murder-for-hire plot against Donald Trump has been deported from the United States after serving prison time. In the photo: Weapons in possession of the accused in connection with the foiled plot.
Rivera and Loadholt have been arrested, but Shakeri remains at large in Iran, according to the Justice Department.
Shakeri came to the United States as a child. The accusation against him states that he met his accomplices while he was in prison in the United States.
He was convicted in 1994 and served time in several state prisons, including Woodbourne Correctional Center, where he co-occurred with the unnamed defendant, according to the indictment.
In 2005, he was moved to a facility in Beacon where officials say he met Rivera.
Shakeri immigrated to the United States as a child, although the FBI has not said what year he arrived or where he lived.
After being imprisoned, he remained in the country until his deportation in 2008.
New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision records show that his parole supervision ended in 2015.
Just four years later he was arrested again in Sri Lanka in connection with the seizure of 92 kilograms of heroin, according to the indictment.
The plot against Trump was orchestrated by Tehran in revenge for the assassination of Qasem Soleimani.
Farhad Shakeri, 51, is accused of masterminding the plot against Tehran’s elected president
Footage of Trump assassination attempt released by government
Images published by the Department of Justice about the frustrated assassination attempt
Images published by the Department of Justice show the cache of weapons that the alleged hitmen had at their disposal.
Iran repeatedly assured the hitmen that they would spend as much money as possible to ensure the killings were carried out.
The IRGC tasked Shakeri with monitoring and killing Trump to avenge the devastating drone strike that killed Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force, in January 2020.
Trump has been a target since Soleimani’s assassination, and during the campaign he called for military aircraft and a larger Secret Service detachment to protect him from Iranian threats.
In September he said he would threaten to blow Iran “to pieces” if he returned to the White House and there were threats from Tehran.
Shakeri was ordered to assassinate Trump with just one month left before millions of Americans went to the polls on November 5.
However, he told the FBI in recorded phone calls that he did not plan to carry out the operation in the timeframe he was given.
Shakeri was then told to delay the plot, because Iran thought Trump would lose the election and then it would be easier to get to him without his presidential secret service.
It is unclear when Shakeri returned to Iran and how he managed to flee the United States.
Activist and journalist Masih Alinejad was the secondary target of Iran’s plot to assassinate Donald Trump, court documents reveal.
They traveled to Fairfield University in Connecticut, where Masih Alinejad was due to appear earlier this year, and also stalked his home in Brooklyn.
The plot against Trump was orchestrated in revenge for the death of General Qasem Soleimani of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Disturbing documents released by the Department of Justice revealed the arsenal of weapons the killers had at their disposal and the text messages they sent to each other to hatch their deadly plan.
The trio also shared terrifying voice messages, asking for patience and detailing how they would track their targets.
Shakeri allegedly ordered Rivera and Loadholt to surveil an unnamed U.S. citizen who is an “outspoken critic” of the Iranian regime.
“In exchange for Shakeri’s promise of $100,000, Rivera and Loadholt repeatedly attempted to locate Victim-1 for murder,” the complaint states.
The IRGC was in constant contact with the suspects and said that “money was not an objective” when it came to pursuing their targets.
They traveled to Fairfield University in Connecticut, where Alinejad was due to appear earlier this year, and also stalked her home in Brooklyn.
Prosecutors also exposed how Iran is using foreign agents to actively target Americans on American soil to kidnap and murder them.
Their objective is to try to silence dissidents critical of the regime, as well as counterattack the death of Soleimani.
