A Pakistani man who investigators say has ties to Iran is facing criminal charges for an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting Donald Trump and other U.S. officials. Asif Merchant was arrested in July in New York after a months-long investigation into his alleged plan to hire hit men to kill American politicians. Sources have confirmed to ABC News that the former president and current Republican nominee was one of Merchant’s alleged targets. According to court documents, Merchant arrived in the U.S. in early April. Just days later, he traveled from Texas to New York to meet with a person he thought would help with his alleged plan, but was instead working as a confidential informant for federal investigators. Investigators said the informant later introduced Merchant to two undercover agents posing as potential hit men for hire. New9 has learned part of Merchant’s alleged plot brought him to Boston in June in an effort to get cash to pay an advance to pay the hit men. Merchant was arrested on July 12 before he was set to leave the country and charged with Murder for Hire. His arrest came just one day before a gunman opened fire at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania. The alleged shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot and killed at the scene. On Tuesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the shooting at the rally is still under investigation, but there is no evidence linking Crooks to Merchant’s murder-for-hire plot. Counter-terrorism experts say it is unclear if Merchant had been receiving orders directly from Iran or if he was inspired to act on his own. However, they said the characteristics of his plan match a pattern that has become more common since the U.S. killing of Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani in 2020. “We hadn’t seen necessarily targeting of one individual by terrorist organizations or state government organizations. They tend to be large-scale plots to kill as many people as possible,” said Seamus Hughes, a senior researcher at the National Counter Terrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center. “Now we’re seeing this kind of move into individualized targeting, individualize assassination plots. That gets a little bit harder for Law enforcement.” Hughes said the FBI’s use of informants and undercover agents was critical to arresting Merchant before he could carry out his alleged plan or flee the country.
A Pakistani man who investigators say has ties to Iran is facing criminal charges for an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting Donald Trump and other U.S. officials.
Asif Merchant was arrested in July in New York after a months-long investigation into his alleged plan to hire hit men to kill American politicians.
Sources have confirmed to ABC News that the former president and current Republican nominee was one of Merchant’s alleged targets.
According to court documents, Merchant arrived in the U.S. in early April. Just days later, he traveled from Texas to New York to meet with a person he thought would help with his alleged plan, but was instead working as a confidential informant for federal investigators.
Investigators said the informant later introduced Merchant to two undercover agents posing as potential hit men for hire.
New9 has learned part of Merchant’s alleged plot brought him to Boston in June in an effort to get cash to pay an advance to pay the hit men.
Merchant was arrested on July 12 before he was set to leave the country and charged with Murder for Hire. His arrest came just one day before a gunman opened fire at a Donald Trump rally in Pennsylvania. The alleged shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot and killed at the scene.
On Tuesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the shooting at the rally is still under investigation, but there is no evidence linking Crooks to Merchant’s murder-for-hire plot.
Counter-terrorism experts say it is unclear if Merchant had been receiving orders directly from Iran or if he was inspired to act on his own. However, they said the characteristics of his plan match a pattern that has become more common since the U.S. killing of Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani in 2020.
“We hadn’t seen necessarily targeting of one individual by terrorist organizations or state government organizations. They tend to be large-scale plots to kill as many people as possible,” said Seamus Hughes, a senior researcher at the National Counter Terrorism Innovation, Technology and Education Center. “Now we’re seeing this kind of move into individualized targeting, individualize assassination plots. That gets a little bit harder for Law enforcement.”
Hughes said the FBI’s use of informants and undercover agents was critical to arresting Merchant before he could carry out his alleged plan or flee the country.
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