BREAKING: Pakistani national arrested for plot to assassinate Trump—DOJ knew about scheme in April

The Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that a Pakistani national has been charged in connection with a plot to assassinate a politician or US government official on US soil.

Asif Merchant, also known as Asif Raza Merchant, 46, arrived in the US in April of 2024 after spending some time in Iran. When he arrived in the US, he contacted a person who he believed could assist him in the plot, with that person reporting Merchant to law enforcement and becoming a confidential source (CS).

While the Department of Justice press release did not name the potential targets of the plot, a US official briefed on the matter told CNN that FBI investigators believed 2024 GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump and other current and former US officials were the intended targets.

The DOJ stated that Merchant explained the assassination plot to the CS in a New York meeting, telling the CS "that the opportunity he had for the CS was not a one-time opportunity and would be ongoing." Merchant made a "finger gun" gesture with his hand, "indicating that the opportunity was related to a killing."

Merchant plotted potential assassination scenarios at the meeting and "quizzed the CS on how he would kill a target in the various scenarios," specifically asking the CS to "explain how a target would die in different scenarios" and noting that there would be "security all around" the person.

According to the DOJ, Merchant said the killing would occur after he left the US, and that he would communicate with the CS using code words. "The CS asked whether Merchant had spoken to the unidentified 'party' back home with whom Merchant was working. Merchant responded that he had and that the party back home told him to 'finalize' the plan and leave the United States."

Merchant in mid-June met with the purported hitmen, who were undercover law enforcement officers in New York. He told the undercover officers that he was "looking for three services from them: theft of documents, arranging protests at political rallies, and for them to kill a 'political person.’" He said that the hitmen would receive instructions on who to kill in the last week of August or the first week of September.

On June 21, Merchant met with the undercover officers in New York and paid them a $5,000 advance, a payment that he received assistance from an individual overseas. After receiving the payment, one of the undercover officers told Merchant, "now we’re bonded," to which Merchant replied, "yes."

The undercover officer then stated, "Now we know we’re going forward. We’re doing this," to which Merchant said, "Yes, absolutely." After the meeting, Merchant made flight arrangements to leave the US on Friday, July 12. Law enforcement agents placed Merchant under arrested that day before he could leave the country. 

"For years, the Justice Department has been working aggressively to counter Iran’s brazen and unrelenting efforts to retaliate against American public officials for the killing of Iranian General Soleimani," said Attorney General Merrick Garland. "The Justice Department will spare no resource to disrupt and hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran’s lethal plotting against American citizens and will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to target American public officials and endanger America’s national security."

"This dangerous murder-for-hire plot exposed in today’s complaint allegedly was orchestrated by a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran and is straight out of the Iranian playbook," said FBI Director Christopher Wray. "A foreign-directed plot to kill a public official, or any US citizen, is a threat to our national security and will be met with the full might and resources of the FBI."

The arrest comes after the attempted assassination of Trump at rally in Pennsylvania on July 13. Gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks was killed by law enforcement after opening fire, striking Trump in the ear, injuring two others, and killing a father who was protecting his family.