The Justice Department has charged a Pakistani man with alleged ties to the Iranian government for seeking to carry out political assassinations, as revealed in an indictment unsealed by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York. The case has led to increased security measures for President Donald Trump and other US officials.
The accused, Asif Merchant, 46, is said to have traveled to New York City and collaborated with a hitman to carry out the assassinations in late August or early September. Merchant was apprehended on July 12 while preparing to leave the United States after meeting with individuals he believed to be hitmen but were actually undercover law enforcement officers.
