Asif Raza Merchant convicted: US jury finds Pakistani national guilty in Trump assassination plot

News York: A federal jury on Friday convicted a Pakistani national with alleged links to Iran for orchestrating a plot to assassinate U.S. government officials, including President Donald Trump, in a scheme described as a state-sponsored act of vengeance.

Asif Raza Merchant, 48, was found guilty in a Brooklyn federal court on charges of transnational terrorism and murder for hire. Prosecutors successfully argued that Merchant travelled to the United States in early 2024 to recruit hitmen for a multi-pronged operation intended to avenge the 2020 killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Qassem Soleimani.

The Soleimani Connection

The conviction arrives as the United States and Israel continue a week-long military campaign against Iran, an escalation that follows the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28. U.S. officials previously characterised Merchant’s plot as "straight out of the Iranian regime's playbook."

During the trial, prosecutors established that Merchant met with individuals he believed were professional killers, but who were actually undercover FBI agents, and paid them a $5,000 cash advance in June 2024. Evidence included video of Merchant using objects on a hotel room napkin to diagram an assassination at a political rally, complete with plans for a distracting protest to facilitate the shooter’s escape.

Testimony and Targets

Testifying in his own defence on Wednesday, Merchant admitted to the core facts of the plot but claimed he was coerced by the IRGC, which he said had threatened his family in Tehran to ensure his cooperation. Merchant testified that he never intended for the killings to occur, stating he expected to be apprehended before any harm was done.

“I had a feeling that there would come a point in time when I would be found out, and I would be arrested,” Merchant told the jury through an interpreter. “At that time, I would tell about this entire plan to the government.”

Merchant also testified that while he was not given a final name for the hit, his Iranian handler had identified three potential targets: President Trump, President Joe Biden, and former U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Merchant was arrested on July 12, 2024, as he prepared to fly out of the country. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said a sentencing date would be set in the near future. Merchant faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The Department of Justice maintained that the conviction serves as a warning to foreign adversaries attempting to conduct lethal operations on American soil.

With inputs from AFP