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Asif Merchant, a 46-year-old Pakistani national, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with plotting to murder a politician or U.S. government official on American soil.
Merchant’splotnevergotveryfar.HetriedtohirehitmeninJunewhoturnedouttobeFBIagents.HewasarrestedonJuly12—whichhappenedtobethedaybeforetheassassinationattemptonDonaldTrumpinPennsylvania.
NoconnectionbetweenThomasCrooksandMerchantoranyforeignplotagainstTrumphasbeenmade.
FederalauthoritiesareallegingthatIranwasbehindMerchant’splot.
“Foryears,theJusticeDepartmenthasbeenworkingaggressivelytocounterIran’sbrazenandunrelentingeffortstoretaliateagainstAmericanpublicofficialsforthekillingofIranianGeneral[Qasem]Soleimani,”AttorneyGeneralMerrickGarlandsaidinawrittenstatement Tuesday.
In2022,theFBIarrestedamemberofIran’sRevolutionaryGuardsforplottingtokillformernationalsecurityadvisorJohnBolton.IranhasalsotriedtokillIranianactivistsintheUnitedStates,includingjournalistMasihAlinejad.
“TheJusticeDepartmentwillsparenoresour
