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A Pakistani man with ties to Iran has been convicted of a plot to kill President Trump and other US politicians during the 2024 election.
Asif Merchant, 47, hired a hitman in New York to target Donald Trump and others.
A jury in Brooklyn convicted him of involvement in the plot after a week-long trial in Brooklyn.
Merchant could face life in prison.
According to the Department of Justice (DoJ), Merchant was a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) and travelled to the US to recruit assassins.
He arrived in the US in 2024 from Pakistan, after visiting Iran.
He made contact with undercover intelligence agents and attempted to recruit them as hitmen.
He was arrested in July 2024.
At trial, he admitted that he had been tasked with killing Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Nikki Haley, to avenge the 2020 killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimaini.
Merchant said he was blackmailed to take part in the plot, because his family were threatened.
“Iran’s terrorist regime sent Asif Merchant here to sow mayhem and murder,” US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr said.
“Thanks to the vigilance of our law enforcement partners, his scheme ended in failure. Today, with Merchant’s conviction, that failure is complete.”
In a statement to the BBC, Merchant’s lawyer Christopher Neff said he was “disappointed in the result.”
“Nevertheless, as Judge Komitee noted, there are complex and significant legal issues yet to be decided. We remain confident that we will ultimately achieve a favorable result for Mr Merchant.”
