Trending Now - Suspect in Assassination Plot Claims Iran Influence

WHO:

Asif Merchant, 47, a Pakistani businessman

Donald Trump, current President of the United States

Joe Biden, then-President of the United States

Nikki Haley, former presidential candidate and ex-U.N. Ambassador

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (deceased)

U.S. authorities, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Nina Gupta

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, deemed a "foreign terrorist organization"

WHAT:

Merchant was accused of plotting to assassinate Trump, Biden, and Haley on behalf of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

He attempted to hire hit men, providing $5,000 in cash.

Merchant testified that he acted out of fear for his family in Iran, stating, "My family was under threat, and I had to do this."

He anticipated being arrested before any killings occurred and hoped to cooperate with U.S. authorities for a green card.

Merchant was arrested on July 12, 2024, a day before an unrelated assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The supposed hit men were undercover FBI agents.

Merchant sketched out the assassination plot on a napkin in a New York hotel room.

He conducted research on Trump rally locations and planned a shooting at a political rally.

WHERE:

New York, where the trial is taking place

Houston, Texas, where Merchant was pulled aside by immigration agents

Butler, Pennsylvania, location of an unrelated assassination attempt on Trump

WHEN:

Merchant was arrested on July 12, 2024.

The trial is ongoing as of March 5, 2026.

Merchant was introduced to a Revolutionary Guard operative around the end of 2022.

The Iran war began less than a week before March 5, 2026.

WHY:

Merchant claimed his actions were driven by fear for his loved ones in Iran.

He believed he was under surveillance and had no other option but to comply with his handler's demands.

HOW:

Merchant was trained in countersurveillance techniques by his Revolutionary Guard contact.

He communicated with his handler and reported back observations, which he later claimed were fabricated.

Merchant attempted to arrange the assassination by seeking U.S. residents interested in working for Iran and looking for a criminal to carry out the plot.

Asif Merchant, a 47-year-old Pakistani businessman, is currently on trial in New York for allegedly plotting to assassinate President Trump, President Biden, and Nikki Haley on behalf of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. He was arrested on July 12, 2024, after attempting to hire hit men, who turned out to be undercover FBI agents, and he claimed his actions were motivated by fear for his family's safety in Iran. Merchant testified that he had sketched out the assassination plot on a napkin and had conducted research on Trump rally locations, believing he was under surveillance and had no choice but to comply with his handler's demands.