U.S. Charges Man With Ties to Iran With Plot to Assassinate Trump, Other Politicians
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Asif Merchant traveled to New York in April to recruit hit men, federal prosecutors said. His scheme but was foiled when one of the people approached reported him to the FBI and became an informant, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said.
Officials for years have warned about ongoing attempts by Iran to retaliate for the January 2020 U.S. drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, leader of Iran’s Quds Force, the group responsible for Iran’s covert military operations abroad.
Trump ordered the strike, …
…the informant introduced him to several undercover agents posing as hit men. Merchant told the agents he would give them instructions on who to kill in late August or early September, after he had left the U.S., and agreed to pay them thousands of dollars for their work. He told the informant to communicate only in coded language: the word “tee shirt” would mean protest; “flannel shirt” would mean stealing; “denim jacket” would mean sending money; and “fleece jacket” would mean committing murder, the indictment said.
Merchant was arrested before he could fly out of the U.S. on July 12
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