Prosecutors said Merchant was sent to the United States in 2024 by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to recruit hitmen to carry out political assassinations. “This man landed on American soil hoping to kill President Trump — instead, he was met with the might of American law enforcement,” Bondi said. In April 2024, Merchant arrived in the United States and began looking for people who could carry out assassinations. In early June 2024, Merchant met the source in New York and discussed the assassination plot, signalling with a “finger gun” gesture that the opportunity involved killing someone. He was arrested before he could leave the United States in July 2024.

Source: The Telegraph March 07, 2026 03:50 UTC