A Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran has been charged with a failed assassination plot targeting former President Donald Trump, according to CNN, citing an official and court documents
The FBI believes the targets of the plot included Trump and other current and former U.S. government officials.
Asif Merchant, 46, is accused of traveling to New York to hire hitmen to carry out the assassinations in late August or early September, as stated in charges filed by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, New York.
Merchant was arrested on July 12 while preparing to leave the United States, prosecutors said, shortly after meeting with supposed hitmen he believed would carry out the murders, who were actually undercover law enforcement officers.
The FBI believes it thwarted Merchant’s plan before any attack could occur and in the weeks following his arrest.
