Pakistani National with ‘Ties to Iran’ Charged Over Foiled Plot to Assassinate Trump
A Pakistani national allegedly tied to Iran has been arrested and charged in connection with a foiled plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump, according to the Justice Department.
Asif Raza Merchant, 46, was accused by the DOJ of a murder-for-hire scheme to assassinate a “politician or U.S. government official on U.S. soil,” with one U.S. official clarifying that Trump was one of the intended targets.
Prosecutors say Merchant was seeking men to commit the actual assassinations, a woman to do “reconnaissance,” and about 25 people “who could perform a protest as a distraction after the murder occurred.”
From CNN:
Merchant arrived in New York City in April, prosecutors say, and aimed to hire a hit man who would carry out assassinations against officials on US soil. Although Merchant is a Pakistani national, prosecutors say he spent time in Iran and has family there.
Once in the United States, Merchant allegedly contacted someone who he believed would assist him in the murder-for-hire plot. That person, however, contacted the FBI and began working for investigators as a confidential source.
Merchant met with the confidential human source in early June, prosecutors say, and said that he wanted he wanted to find people in New York to do three things: steal documents or USB drives from one victim’s home, plan protests at political rallies and carry out assassinations. Merchant allegedly told the confidential human source that the work was not a one-time opportunity and made a “finger gun” motion with his hand.
Merchant was arrested trying to leave the U.S. shortly after meeting the purported hitmen he thought would carry out the assassination but who turned out to be undercover officers.
Notably, Merchant was arrested on July 12 — the day before the attempted assassination of Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania — but prosecutors say he had no connection to that incident.
According to court documents, Merchant wanted to target individuals he believed were “hurting Pakistan and the world, [the] Muslim world,” adding that “these are not just normal people.”
A lawyer for Merchant denied that he was cooperating with authorities, calling the claim “inaccurate” and “irresponsible.”
The top leadership of the DOJ and FBI released statements Tuesday condemning Merchant’s alleged plot to kill Trump.
“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,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland.
“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.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray likewise stated, “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.”
“A 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,” he added.
This comes as the intelligence agencies have been repeatedly warning that Iran may try to retaliate for Trump’s 2020 drone strike that killed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Gen. Qasem Soleimani by trying to kill Trump or his former advisers.
Infowars founder Alex Jones cautioned against taking the DOJ’s arrest of Merchant at face value, asserting, “This is cover for the next deep state attack.”
This is cover for the next deep state attack https://t.co/Xt43zSV6wO
— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) August 6, 2024
Read the DOJ’s criminal complaint:
BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: Roger Stone Warns Deep State May Assassinate Biden To Steal Election
Roger Stone joins Alex Jones live to respond to Kamala Harris’ VP pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as well as wargame what the Deep State will do next to maintain absolute power.
BREAKING EXCLUSIVE: Roger Stone Warns Deep State May Assassinate Biden To Steal Election@RogerJStoneJr pic.twitter.com/GWAPjTlkuo
— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) August 6, 2024
AOC Blasted After Asking JD Vance ‘Why Are You Sitting Like That’
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) likely regretted asking why Trump vice presidential candidate JD Vance sat with his legs apart during a recent interview.
In a post still up on X, the far-left Squad leader asked the Trump running mate, “Why are you sitting like that,” in reference to Vance’s sitting posture during an interview over the weekend on the “Full Send Podcast.”
Why are you sitting like that https://t.co/VYaWc52nPU
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) August 6, 2024
“Balls,” one of the top replies from X user @EndWokeness told AOC, adding, “I would tell you to ask your boyfriend but he probably doesn’t have any.”
Balls.
I would tell you to ask your boyfriend but he probably doesn’t have any.— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) August 6, 2024
If anyone’s wondering how AOC’s fiancé since 2022 sits, wonder no more.
Here’s what she’s used to in men pic.twitter.com/R5uxiLPFBv
— Brick Suit (@Brick_Suit) August 6, 2024
Why is he sitting like that pic.twitter.com/VtNeoaoWRV
— The Right To Bear Memes (@grandoldmemes) August 6, 2024
Other commenters also took AOC to the woodshed over her “manspreading” complaint.
You mean like this? pic.twitter.com/HHC1hV6nSb
— Five Times August (@FiveTimesAugust) August 6, 2024
It’s more comfortable for men to sit like this because of our balls.
— Chase Geiser (@realchasegeiser) August 6, 2024
If you were competent enough to understand the difference between men and women you’d know exactly why.
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 6, 2024
It’s called a penis.
— TheQuartering (@TheQuartering) August 6, 2024
You know, the thing you say women have?
Wait, are you really asking @JDVance to mansplain manspreading?
— Brick Suit (@Brick_Suit) August 6, 2024
The responses just got worse for AOC from there, with Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. chiming in questioning why she was also photographed sitting legs spread at one point.
Why are you sitting like that? https://t.co/Ke1bSMX9h8 pic.twitter.com/qNX5Mfcw9m
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 6, 2024
AOC is not a smart person. https://t.co/PD5mLwaGfL pic.twitter.com/RaTjZzzxQY
— Viva Frei (@thevivafrei) August 6, 2024
This you ? pic.twitter.com/7SOT5R08gb
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) August 6, 2024
This you? https://t.co/d8R45BpHjj pic.twitter.com/RmbeFL8qHT
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) August 6, 2024
You were just wanting attention weren’t you? This you? pic.twitter.com/ac772j0NlU
— Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) August 6, 2024
The 2024 Democratic Party platform:
— Pericles ‘Perry’ Abbasi (@ElectionLegal) August 6, 2024
Having testicles = weird
Cutting off your testicles = not weird pic.twitter.com/W4aoCQ3DOJ
While AOC likely didn’t intend her post to have the effect it did, the reaction to it shows Democrats aren’t thinking on their feet when it comes to smearing the Trump-Vance ticket.
“Black People Are the Best!” Ben Stiller Pledges $150K to Kamala Harris Over Color of Her Skin
Hollywood actor Ben Stiller has declared that he is donating at least $100,000 to Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign purely based on the fact that she has brown skin. Appearing in a “Comics for Kamala” Zoom […]
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US Military Laying Groundwork To Reinstate the Draft
The U.S. military is preparing to reinstate the draft “due to the threat of World War 3 erupting” amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, according to reports. The most recent edition of the US […]
The post US Military Laying Groundwork To Reinstate the Draft appeared first on The People’s Voice.
British PM: ‘A Standing Army Is Ready To Mass Arrest Right Wing Nationalists’
British Prime Minister Kier Starmer declared Monday that there is a “standing army” ready to mass arrest “right wing nationalists” who oppose the UK government’s mass immigration policies. Protests have been erupting for days since […]
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