Pakistani convicted of plotting to kill Trump over death of Iran commander - Reuters

<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMivAFBVV95cUxORDV1aTFlVnRSUVpiNGVyeE94UTd1cFd2SmdBZGhDYzA1U0hITnVjRFhDOHBFa2hneFduWkFlVmltX0oyX3NEdmRJNmJQRmR3VVlRVE9ZMXZMbWVXYXY0ZU12bS1uTEI4RWlCbXNLdGJZZHZOMThzazFXUm1BaEZYQ3JKejR6bWF4SUY5VnFGTFllRE1FM2dzYktZd1Zwd2Rfai1ieU5vV2tXbVFpWGZIcWdDd01CQlVXT29CSw?oc=5" target="_blank">Pakistani convicted of plotting to kill Trump over death of Iran commander</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">Reuters</font>

Asif Merchant, a Pakistani businessman, was convicted in New York on terrorism and murder-for-hire charges for attempting to orchestrate the assassination of a U.S. political figure during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Asif Merchant was convicted of 'murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries,' directed by the Iranian authorities, the US Department of Justice said in a statement.

Prosecutors argued that even after U.S. immigration agents stopped him at Houston’s airport in April 2024, searched his belongings and questioned him about trips to Iran, Merchant continued with the alleged plot.

Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national, was convicted in the U.S. for attempting to hire hitmen to kill a U.S. politician, allegedly under orders from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. The plot was thwarted before any attack occurred.

Asif Merchant, a Pakistani businessman, is on trial in a New York federal court for attempting to orchestrate a political assassination plot on behalf of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. According to his testimony, potential targets included Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Nikki Haley. Merchant claimed he acted under duress, fearing for the safety of his relatives in Iran after being approached by a Revolutionary Guard intelligence operative.

Investigators secretly recorded their meetings. Prosecutors said Merchant told the supposed assassins he needed services that could include killing 'some political person' and handed them USD 5,000 in cash during a meeting in a parked car in Manhattan.

Asif Merchant was convicted of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump and other U.S. politicians in retaliation for the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020.

A Pakistani businessman, Asif Merchant, was convicted in New York on terrorism and murder-for-hire charges for attempting to orchestrate the assassination of a U.S. political figure during the 2024 presidential campaign. He claimed he was acting on orders from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, though Tehran has denied involvement.