BROOKLYN, NY - Information released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) has revealed that Asif Merchant, also known as Asif Raza Merchant, 46, a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran, was charged in a murder-for-hire case "as part of an alleged scheme to assassinate a politician or U.S. government official on U.S. soil."
In April, Merchant was allowed by the FBI to enter the US with special permission, called "significant public benefit parole." This, despite the fact that he has recently traveled to Iran and been added and flagged to a terrorism watchlist.
Merchant was arrested in July after he allegedly told an FBI confidential source that he had an "opportunity" for him. According to a press release from the DOJ, making a "fingergun" motion with his fingers, Merchant asked the FBI's confidential source to orchestrate the killing of victims who would be "targeted here," within the U.S.
In June, he met with the "hitmen," who were in reality undercover law enforcement officers in New York and requested three services: "theft of documents, arranging protests at political rallies, and for them to kill a 'political person.'" He claimed that he had spoken with an unidentified "party" back home in Pakistan and was instructed to "finalize" their plans to kill the person in either late August or early September.
Merchant paid the undercover officers $5,000 in advance and the undercover operative allegedly asked if he was definitely moving forward with it. Merchant responded, “Yes, absolutely.”
Merchant later made arrangements to leave the U.S., but he was intercepted before he could make his flight. He told authorities that he has a wife and children in Iran as well as a wife and children in Pakistan.
The DOJ wrote, "Merchant instructed the CS to arrange meetings with individuals whom Merchant could hire to carry out these actions. Merchant explained that his plot involved multiple criminal schemes: (1) stealing documents or USB drives from a target’s home; (2) planning a protest; and (3) killing a politician or government official."
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement about the complaint, "For years, the Justice Department has been working aggressively to counter Iran’s brazen and unrelenting efforts to retaliate against American public officials for the killing of Iranian General Soleimani." He continued, "The Justice Department will spare no resource to disrupt and hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran’s lethal plotting against American citizens and will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to target American public officials and endanger America’s national security.”
The FBI is investigating the case working with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara K. Winik, Gilbert Rein, and Douglas Pravda for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorneys David Smith and Joshua Champagne of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
FBI Director Christopher Wray told reporters, "This dangerous murder-for-hire plot exposed in today’s complaint allegedly was orchestrated by a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran and is straight out of the Iranian playbook. foreign-directed plot to kill a public official, or any U.S. citizen, is a threat to our national security and will be met with the full might and resources of the FBI."
In April, Merchant was allowed by the FBI to enter the US with special permission, called "significant public benefit parole." This, despite the fact that he has recently traveled to Iran and been added and flagged to a terrorism watchlist.
Merchant was arrested in July after he allegedly told an FBI confidential source that he had an "opportunity" for him. According to a press release from the DOJ, making a "fingergun" motion with his fingers, Merchant asked the FBI's confidential source to orchestrate the killing of victims who would be "targeted here," within the U.S.
In June, he met with the "hitmen," who were in reality undercover law enforcement officers in New York and requested three services: "theft of documents, arranging protests at political rallies, and for them to kill a 'political person.'" He claimed that he had spoken with an unidentified "party" back home in Pakistan and was instructed to "finalize" their plans to kill the person in either late August or early September.
Merchant paid the undercover officers $5,000 in advance and the undercover operative allegedly asked if he was definitely moving forward with it. Merchant responded, “Yes, absolutely.”
Merchant later made arrangements to leave the U.S., but he was intercepted before he could make his flight. He told authorities that he has a wife and children in Iran as well as a wife and children in Pakistan.
Fox News's Bill Melugin wrote in a post to X that Merchant's "briefcase had a handwritten note in it with codewords he had invented to masquerade discussion about the assassination plot with the undercover agents. His travel records indicate he frequently travels to Iran, Syria, and Iraq."NEW: DOJ announces it has charged a Pakistani national w/ ties to Iran in a plot to assassinate current & former US government officials on US soil in retaliation for the Soleimani killing. DOJ says Asif Merchant flew to the US in April after spending time in Iran, then traveled… pic.twitter.com/Hjp0L90BVT
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) August 6, 2024
The DOJ wrote, "Merchant instructed the CS to arrange meetings with individuals whom Merchant could hire to carry out these actions. Merchant explained that his plot involved multiple criminal schemes: (1) stealing documents or USB drives from a target’s home; (2) planning a protest; and (3) killing a politician or government official."
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement about the complaint, "For years, the Justice Department has been working aggressively to counter Iran’s brazen and unrelenting efforts to retaliate against American public officials for the killing of Iranian General Soleimani." He continued, "The Justice Department will spare no resource to disrupt and hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran’s lethal plotting against American citizens and will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to target American public officials and endanger America’s national security.”
The FBI is investigating the case working with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara K. Winik, Gilbert Rein, and Douglas Pravda for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorneys David Smith and Joshua Champagne of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.
FBI Director Christopher Wray told reporters, "This dangerous murder-for-hire plot exposed in today’s complaint allegedly was orchestrated by a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran and is straight out of the Iranian playbook. foreign-directed plot to kill a public official, or any U.S. citizen, is a threat to our national security and will be met with the full might and resources of the FBI."
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Comments
2024-08-09T21:19-0400 | Comment by: Donna
Wow! Garland is patting himself on the back, after letting assasination planner into the US in spite of his terrorist ties. How about keeping him out in the first place and monitor his phone, etc. CIA can do that.
2024-08-10T13:03-0400 | Comment by: John
I smell CYA and possible brownie points from this story.