A federal complaint unsealed on Tuesday in Brooklyn has charged Asif Merchant, also known as “Asif Raza Merchant,” a 46-year-old Pakistani national, with murder-for-hire in connection with a foiled assassination plot targeting a U.S. politician or government officials on American soil.

The plot was thwarted by law enforcement before any attack could be executed. Merchant is currently in federal custody in New York, according to the press release. FBI investigators believe that the intended targets of the plot included former President Donald Trump and other current and former U.S. government officials, according to a U.S. official briefed on the matter, as reported by CNN.
Detailed Planning and Execution

According to court documents, Merchant orchestrated a plot to assassinate a politician or U.S. government officials on U.S. soil. In approximately April 2024, after spending time in Iran, Merchant arrived in the United States from Pakistan and contacted a person he believed could assist him with the scheme. This individual reported Merchant’s intentions to law enforcement and became a confidential source (CS).

In early June, during a meeting with the CS, Merchant outlined his assassination plot and indicated that this opportunity would not be a one-time event. He made a gesture resembling a gun with his hand while discussing the killing and specified that the targets would be “here,” referring to the United States. Merchant’s plan included various criminal activities: stealing documents from a target’s residence, organizing protests, and ultimately assassinating a political figure or government official. He expressed concerns about security measures surrounding potential targets and discussed multiple scenarios for carrying out the assassination.
Undercover Sting Operation

In mid-June, Merchant met with individuals he believed were hitmen but were actually undercover FBI agents (UCs). During these meetings, he sought their services for theft and assassination and indicated that he would provide instructions on whom to kill after leaving the U.S.

Merchant arranged to pay $5,000 in cash as an advance for the assassination services and successfully delivered this payment on June 21. Following this transaction, he made plans to leave the country on July 12, 2024, one day before Trump’s assassination attempt. However, law enforcement intervened and arrested him before he could depart.
Heightened Security Measures

It can be recalled that CNN reported that the Trump campaign was made aware of an Iranian assassination plot against Trump before a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. According to the report, the Secret Service ramped up security after receiving intel about the assassination plot.

Many red flags surround this case! Fake News CNN first reported on this and the FBI released this news just as many people started calling the assassination attempt an inside job.

Here’s what majority of Americans think about this:

Notice: The opinions presented in this article are solely those of the author. Our goal is to provide educational content that promotes knowledge and constructive dialogue, without contributing to misinformation or hostility.