Pakistani national Asif Merchant, with ties to Iran, was charged on Tuesday with conspiracy to commit political assassination in the United States, the US Department of Justice said. CNN reported that Donald Trump was the victim of the attack.
As reported by AP, Brooklyn prosecutors have announced charges against 46-year-old Asif Merchantaccusing him of traveling to New York to hire a hitman to carry out the attacks.
“The plot was stopped before it could be carried out,” the agency reports, adding that “court documents do not identify any of the potential targets.”
CNN reported, citing the indictment and a statement from a US official, that The foiled plot targeted Donald Trump, the Republican candidate in this fall’s presidential election. According to the television station, FBI investigators believe that Trump, as well as current and former US government officials, were targets of the conspiracy.
