NEW YORK, US — A federal jury in the United States has convicted a man accused of working for Iran’s elite military force in a plot to assassinate American political figures, including President Donald Trump.
Prosecutors said Asif Merchant, also known as Asif Raza Merchant, was a trained operative of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who traveled to the United States to coordinate killings and other covert operations.
Merchant was found guilty of murder-for-hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries after a federal trial in New York.
He faces a potential sentence of up to life in prison.
According to prosecutors, Merchant arrived in the U.S. in April 2024 and began attempting to recruit individuals to help him carry out an assassination plot targeting a politician or U.S. government official.
Unbeknownst to him, the people he approached to conduct the killings were actually undercover U.S. law enforcement officers working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Authorities arrested Merchant in July 2024 before he could leave the country.
Alleged Iranian-backed assassination plot
During the trial, Merchant admitted that the IRGC had sent him to the United States to recruit operatives and organize multiple criminal activities, including stealing sensitive documents, staging protests, and arranging political assassinations.
Prosecutors said Merchant began working with the IRGC in Pakistan in late 2022 or early 2023 and received training in surveillance and counter-surveillance techniques.
He later traveled repeatedly to Iran to meet with his handler before being dispatched to the United States with a new mission in 2024.
Court testimony revealed that Merchant asked an acquaintance in New York to help him find members of the “Mafia” who could carry out the crimes.
That acquaintance instead alerted authorities and became a confidential informant.
In June 2024, Merchant met with the informant and described the assassination plan, allegedly using a “finger gun” gesture while explaining the opportunity involved killing a target inside the United States.
Undercover sting operation
Shortly afterward, Merchant met with individuals he believed were hired hitmen. They were actually undercover agents working with U.S. law enforcement.
During those meetings, Merchant allegedly requested three services: stealing documents or USB drives from a target’s residence, organizing protests at political rallies, and killing a “political person.”
Investigators said Merchant told the supposed hitmen that the identity of the assassination target would be revealed only after he left the United States.
In June 2024, Merchant paid the undercover agents $5,000 as an advance payment for the planned assassination.
Officials respond to conviction
U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said the case demonstrated the ability of American law enforcement to prevent foreign-backed terror plots.
“This man landed on American soil hoping to kill President Trump — instead, he was met with the might of American law enforcement,” Bondi said.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the verdict sends a clear warning to foreign actors attempting to interfere with the United States.
“This was not the first attempt by Iran to harm our citizens on U.S. soil,” Patel said. “Let this verdict serve as a reminder that the FBI is committed to detecting such threats and preventing acts of violence.”
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice in the Eastern District of New York with assistance from several FBI field offices and local law enforcement agencies.
Merchant is expected to be sentenced at a later date.
