The US Department of Justice and prosecutors have charged a Pakistani man with allegedly plotting to kill an American official in retaliation for the killing of Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani.
According to the foreign news agency ‘AFP’, the Department of Justice and Prosecution said in a statement that 46-year-old Asif Raza Merchant allegedly hired a hitman to kill a politician or an American government official in the United States. Tried to.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said, “As the charges against Asif Merchant relate to terrorism and murder, we will continue to hold accountable those who seek to carry out Iran’s deadly conspiracy against Americans.”
It should be noted that Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani was killed in an American drone attack in Baghdad in January 2020.
The US government did not provide information regarding Asif Merchant, Foreign Office
U.S. Attorney Brian Pace added that today’s indictment is a message to terrorists here and abroad.
The alleged victim was not identified, but the attorney general previously said there was no evidence linking Merchant to the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
FBI Director Christopher Wray has said that the Pakistani national had “close ties to Iran” and that the alleged murder-for-hire plot was “straight out of the Iranian playbook”.
Asif Merchant was framed by undercover officers as a hired killer
Another FBI official said Merchant allegedly tried to hire undercover FBI agents.
It should be noted that on August 7, the news came to light that the US has charged Pakistani citizen Asif Merchant with planning to kill politicians on American soil and having close ties with Iran. The American FBI revealed in the document submitted to the local court that Asif Merchant met the hired killer who was actually an undercover officer in June this year and paid him an advance of 5 thousand dollars for the murder and the merchant was sent to the United States. He was arrested on the tip off of the undercover officers before he tried to escape.
According to court documents, the FBI claimed that Asif Merchant met with an “informant” in New York in early June and told that person details of the assassination plan. According to the documents, Asif Merchant also allegedly made a ‘gun sign with his hand’ while talking about his intentions.
According to the FBI, the person Asif Merchant had spoken to had informed ‘law enforcement agencies’. Earlier, Asif Merchant had reached Pakistan after Iran and had spent some time in Iran.
Merchant is alleged to have planned to steal documents from the target’s home, stage a demonstration and assassinate a politician or government official.
The documents allege that Asif Merchant asked the man to meet with the hitmen, who then put him in contact with undercover FBI agents in June.
He is alleged to have met a hitman, an undercover officer, in June and paid him an advance of $5,000 for the murder.
The new direction in the investigation of the assassination attack on Trump, ‘came up several times on the radar of the attacking officials’
According to court documents, Asif Merchant allegedly wanted to leave the US on July 12 before completing the murder plan and had also booked a flight in this regard.
Asif Merchant had reportedly said that he would stay in touch with the help of a code word after leaving the US, but the US authorities arrested him on the same day so that he could not leave the country.
On this occasion, US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said that Iran has been trying to avenge the killing of Iranian General Soleimani for many years, which is being aggressively thwarted by the Department of Justice. “The Department of Justice will use every resource possible to thwart Iran’s deadly plans and protect American citizens.”
#Pakistani #citizen #Asif #Merchant #charged #conspiracy #kill #official #Pakistan
2024-09-12 07:28:23
What were the motivations behind Asif Raza Merchant’s alleged plot to assassinate a US official?
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US Charges Pakistani Man with Alleged Plot to Kill American Official in Retaliation for Qassem Soleimani’s Death
In a recent development, the US Department of Justice has charged a Pakistani man, Asif Raza Merchant, with allegedly plotting to kill an American official in retaliation for the killing of Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani. According to a statement by the Department of Justice and Prosecution, Merchant, 46, allegedly hired a hitman to kill a politician or an American government official in the United States [[1]].
The charges against Merchant relate to terrorism and murder, and Attorney General Merrick Garland has vowed to hold accountable those who seek to carry out Iran’s deadly conspiracy against Americans [[1]]. This development comes nearly four years after Soleimani was killed in an American drone attack in Baghdad in January 2020.
Merchant, who has close ties to Iran, allegedly tried to hire undercover FBI agents to carry out the murder [[1]]. He met with an “informant” in New York in early June and disclosed details of the assassination plan, even making a “gun sign with his hand” while talking about his intentions [[1]]. The documents further allege that Merchant planned to steal documents from the target’s home, stage a demonstration, and assassinate a politician or government official [[1]].
The FBI claimed that Merchant met with an undercover officer in June and paid him an advance of $5,000 for the murder [[1]]. He was arrested on July 12 before he could escape, and the documents revealed that Merchant had booked a flight to leave the US on the same day [[1]].
The investigation revealed that Merchant had traveled from Iran to Pakistan and then to the United States, where he was arrested [[1]]. The FBI Director, Christopher Wray, stated that Merchant’s alleged murder-for-hire plot was “straight out of the Iranian playbook” [[1]].
This incident highlights the ongoing threats to national security and the need for continued vigilance against terrorist activities. The US government has taken a strong stance against Iran’s deadly conspiracy against Americans, and the charges against Merchant serve as a warning to terrorists both domestically and abroad.
It is worth noting that this is not the only recent case involving a Pakistani man charged with terrorism-related offenses. In a separate incident, Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, was charged with plotting a mass shooting at a Jewish center in Brooklyn, New York, around October 7, 2024 [[2]][[3]].
As the global war on terror continues, it is essential for nations to cooperate and share intelligence to prevent such heinous crimes. The US government’s swift action in this case demonstrates its commitment to protecting its citizens and holding accountable those who seek to do them harm.
References:
[1] AFP (2024). US charges Pakistani man with alleged plot to kill American official in retaliation for Qassem Soleimani’s death.
[2] Reuters (2024). Pakistani man charged over alleged plot to attack New York City linked to Islamic State.
[3] The Guardian (2024). Pakistani man in Canada charged with planned mass shooting at Jewish center in New York.
Pakistani Man Charged in Alleged Iran-Backed Plot to Kill US Official
In a recent development, the US Department of Justice has charged a 46-year-old Pakistani man, Asif Raza Merchant, with allegedly plotting to kill an American official in retaliation for the killing of Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani [[1]].
According to the Department of Justice and prosecutors, Merchant hired a hitman to assassinate a politician or government official in the United States [[2]]. Attorney General Merrick Garland stated that the charges against Merchant relate to terrorism and murder, and the US will continue to hold accountable those who seek to carry out Iran’s deadly conspiracy against Americans [[1]].
The alleged victim was not identified, but the Attorney General previously stated that there was no evidence linking Merchant to the July 13 assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania [[1]]. FBI Director Christopher Wray revealed that Merchant had “close ties to Iran” and that the alleged murder-for-hire plot was “straight out of the Iranian playbook” [[1]].
The investigation revealed that Merchant met with an undercover FBI agent in June and paid him an advance of $5,000 for the murder [[3]]. Court documents allege that Merchant planned to steal documents from the target’s home, stage a demonstration, and assassinate a politician or government official [[1]].
FBI officials revealed that Merchant had spent time in Iran before coming to the United States and had met with an “informant” in New York in early June, where he shared details of the assassination plan [[1]]. The documents also allege that Merchant made a “gun sign with his hand” while discussing his intentions [[1]].
Merchant was arrested on the tip-off of the undercover officers before he tried to escape [[2]]. According to court documents, Merchant allegedly wanted to leave the US on July 12 before completing the murder plan and had also booked a flight [[1]].
This incident highlights the ongoing concerns about Iran’s involvement in plots to harm American officials and citizens. The charges against Merchant serve as a warning to terrorists and a message to those who seek to carry out Iran’s deadly conspiracy against Americans [[1]].
References:
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