A federal jury in the US on Friday, March 6, convicted a Pakistani man of planning to kill President Donald Trump and other prominent American politicians at the behest of Iran.
The convict, Asif Merchant, also known as “Asif Raza Merchant,” was accused of trying to recruit people in the US in a plan targeting Trump and others. According to the Department of Justice, Merchant’s targets also included the then-President Joe Biden and Nikki Haley, who was running against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination.
Prosecutors said that the killings were in retaliation for the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Soleimani was killed on January 3, 2020, in a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq, during Trump’s first term in office.
Who is Asif Merchant?
Asif Merchant is a 47-year-old Pakistani national who worked for Pakistani banks for decades and was also involved with the garment industry. He has two families, in Pakistan and Iran.
According to the DOJ, Merchant is a trained Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps operative, and he entered the United States intending to commit acts of terror.
Merchant began working for the IRGC in Pakistan in late 2022 or early 2023, when he received training in tradecraft, including countersurveillance.
Entered US to hire hitmen
He entered the US for the first time in 2023, with a mission to find potential IRGC recruits who could stay behind in the country.
Merchant who repeatedly traveled to Iran to meet with his IRGC handler was sent to the US again in 2024, where he was tasked with recruiting “Mafia” members to steal documents, stage a protest, and carry out the assassination of one of the three targets.
How the murder plot fell apart
However, his plot fell apart after an acquaintance Merchant contacted in New York, alerting law enforcement agencies. The acquaintance, Nadeem Ali, ‘helped’ Merchant plan the operations, while remaining a confidential source for the law enforcement.
Merchant told Ali that the assassination would occur after he left the US and in mid-June, he met with the purported hitmen, who were undercover officials.
On June 21, Merchant paid $5,000 in cash as an advance to the undercover officials and was planning to leave the US. He was taken into custody on July 12, the day Merchant was to fly out of the US.
What Asif Merchant said
During the trial in New York City last week, Merchant admitted to joining the plot with Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps but testified he did so unwillingly, to protect his family in Tehran.
“My family was under threat, and I had to do this,” he said.
Merchant also told the jury he was carrying out instructions from a contact in the IRGC. According to Merchant, the handler never specified a target but mentioned the names of then-candidate Donald Trump, then-President Joe Biden, and Nikki Haley during the course of conversations in the Iranian capital.
Asif Merchant faces life in jail
A jury in Brooklyn convicted Merchant on charges of “murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries.” He faces up to life in prison.
Key Takeaways
- The case underscores the global implications of terrorism and its connections to international relations.
- Merchant’s motivations highlight the personal conflicts individuals may face in the face of coercion.
- The importance of law enforcement vigilance in foiling international plots is crucial for national security.
