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A Pakistani national with ties to Iran pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges related to an Iranian plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
A federal judge in Brooklyn ordered Asif Merchant detained pending trial at the Monday hearing in which Merchant pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries and taking part in a murder-for-hire plot, according to ABC News.
Merchant pleaded not guilty the same day that another man suspected of targeting Trump for assassination appeared in a federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida. That man, who was arrested shortly after allegedly fleeing from a sniper spot at Trump International Golf Course, was arraigned on charges of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
The Iranian-backed assassination plot allegedly involving Merchant is unrelated to the Florida assassination attempt.
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“This dangerous murder-for-hire plot was allegedly orchestrated by a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran and is straight out of the Iranian regime’s playbook,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement last week. “A foreign-directed plot to kill a public official, or any U.S. citizen, is a serious threat to our national security and will be met with the full might and resources of the FBI. Protecting Americans from terrorists remains our highest priority.”
Merchant arrived in the U.S. in April planning to orchestrate a plot to kill Trump, according to prosecutors. Merchant allegedly outlined the plan with someone soon after believing that the person could help him carry it out. That person later reported Merchant’s behavior to the FBI and became a confidential source.
In June, Merchant allegedly met with men he believed to be hitmen but who were actually U.S. law enforcement officers in New York. The Pakistani paid the men $5,000 in advance for them to kill Trump before making arrangements to leave the United States, according to prosecutors.
Law enforcement arrested Merchant on July 12.
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