FBI Charges Pakistani Man with Political Assassination Plot

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Facts

  • The Justice Department has charged Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national, in an alleged 'murder-for-hire' plot in New York to assassinate 'a US politician or government officials on US soil,' including potentially former president and Republican nominee Donald Trump.[1][2]
  • According to the FBI, after spending time in Iran, Merchant arrived in the US from Pakistan in April. Court documents unsealed Tuesday don't claim he was acting on behalf of Iran but mention that he reportedly told investigators he has a wife and children in Iran and 'indicated an affinity for Iran.'[3][4]
  • Federal officials claim he traveled to New York in June and paid $5K as advance payment to two undercover agents for the planned murders. He was supposed to deliver further instructions, including the names of the targets, in August or September after he had left the US.[5][6]
  • Merchant allegedly told a confidential FBI source that he wanted to burglarise a target's home to steal information, organize protests, and eliminate a politician or government official who he claimed were 'hurting Pakistan and the world, [the] Muslim world.'[7][8]
  • Prosecutors claim Merchant also tried to hire a woman to do 'reconnaissance' and about 25 people 'who could perform a protest as a distraction after the murder occurred.' The US alleges Iran seeks to avenge the 2020 killing of Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' top commander, in a strike ordered by then-Pres. Trump.[9][10]
  • According to court documents, Merchant was arrested on July 12, a day before Matthew Crooks opened fire at Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania. However, the FBI investigators haven't found any evidence linking him to the shooting.[11][12]

Sources: [1]BBC News, [2]DAWN.COM, [3]Politico, [4]NPR Online News, [5]Associated Press, [6]Al Jazeera, [7]NBC, [8]NDTV.com, [9]CNN, [10]Fox59, [11]New York Times and [12]The Express Tribune.

Narratives

  • Anti-Iran narrative, as provided by United States Department of Justice. Merchant's foiled assassination plot is straight out of the Iranian playbook. It's evident that his modus operandi is similar to the Iranian government's policy of prosecuting its enemies on foreign soil. His criminal intent and approach are consistent with the actions of those who carry out high-profile assassinations on behalf of an American adversary. The US will outwit all attempts by an authoritarian regime to jeopardize the country's national security.
  • Anti-Iran narrative, as provided by Aa. Merchant's foiled assassination plot is straight out of the Iranian playbook. It's evident that his modus operandi is similar to the Iranian government's policy of prosecuting its enemies on foreign soil. His criminal intent and approach are consistent with the actions of those who carry out high-profile assassinations on behalf of an American adversary. The US will outwit all attempts by an authoritarian regime to jeopardize the country's national security.
  • Pro-Iran narrative, as provided by Tehran Times. These are baseless, inaccurate, and irresponsible charges. The court filings neither reveal Merchant's specific 'targets' nor mention Trump or Iran. Yet, the FBI is quick to attribute the fabricated threats to American public officials to Tehran to evade responsibility for its failure to protect the country's presidential nominee from a would-be assassin's bullet. There's no evidence against Merchant; Iran must counter the US' brazen and unrelenting efforts to berate its people.

Predictions