Asif Merchant has been charged by the Department of Justice with planning to assassinate American politicians and potentially Donald Trump, a former President of the United States. These revelations led to increased security measures for Trump and other officials.
Details of the Alleged Plot As stated in court documents, Asif Merchant planned to murder an unidentified politician or US government officials within America’s borders. Although the criminal complaint does not mention Trump directly, various sources state that he was among its targets. Who is Asif Merchant? Also known as “Asif Raza Merchant,” Asif Merchant is a Pakistani national connected to Iran. He has two wives, one in Pakistan and another in Iran.
Children are born, respectively, in each country. The US Justice Department says that Merchant often travels to Iran, Syria, and Iraq. Plotting the Assassinations A plot involving stealing documents or USB drives, organizing protests, and killing a politician or government official is outlined in court documents.
Each aspect of the plan had code names assigned by Mr. Merchant: “tee-shirt” for protests, “flannel shirt” for document thefts, “fleece jacket” for assassination, and “yarn-dye” for meetings. In order to attract his first contact person into a business relationship, it appears that Mr. Merchant pretended he had an uncle who traded in “yarn-dyed” merchandise in Pakistan.
How the Conspiracy Failed Merchant’s plot unraveled after he tried to recruit FBI agents in disguise as hitmen. He was taken into custody on July 12, as he finalized his plans to leave the jurisdiction. In mid-June, Merchant held meetings with people he supposed were hitmen in New York, who were in fact undercover US law enforcement officers.
He wanted them to steal documents, organize protests at political rallies, and eliminate a “political person.” According to him, this could only be done after he left the country, and that should happen between late August and early September. The merchant readily agreed to make an upfront cash payment of $5k for the murder services.
On July 12th, Merchant had planned to go abroad one day ahead of the Trump assassination trial. However, before going away from home, he was held by law enforcement officers. This case points out how the alertness of US security agents helps apprehend any threats directed at public officials towards maintaining the security and safety of the country.
