Asif Merchant, convicted of the Trump assassination plot, headlines surfaced after the US Department of Justice said a Pakistani national was found guilty in a case involving an alleged Iran-directed plan to kill President Donald Trump and other prominent US politicians.
According to the DOJ, Merchant was convicted on charges including “murder for hire” and “attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries.” Prosecutors alleged the plan was directed by Iranian authorities.
Merchant acknowledged during the trial that he joined the plot with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, but told the court he acted unwillingly and said he was trying to protect his family in Tehran.
🚨The Islamic Regime PAID a 47 year old Pakistani to assassinate Donald Trump in 2024.
"Iran wants revenge for the killing of their top military leader, Soleimani"
Asif Merchant is being arraigned in a Brooklyn Courthouse, after he was arrested one day before Trump was shot in… pic.twitter.com/adPS6oOXRo
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 6, 2026Asif Merchant Convicted Trump Assassination Plot: What the DOJ Alleged
Federal prosecutors said the alleged plot was intended as retaliation for the US killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020, during Trump’s first term.
The DOJ said targets in the alleged 2024 plot included Trump, then-President Joe Biden, and Nikki Haley, who ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination that year.
Merchant told the court he was never ordered to kill a specific person, but said an Iranian handler named three people during conversations in Tehran, according to the report. The DOJ said law enforcement stopped the plan before any attack occurred.
Read: Investigation Deepens into Asif Merchant’s Alleged Involvement in Assassination Plot
According to the statement, a person Merchant contacted in April 2024 to help with the plot reported the activity and became a confidential informant. Merchant was arrested and pleaded not guilty that year.
The trial took place in Brooklyn and began last week, the report said. The report notes Tehran has denied accusations that it targeted Trump or other US officials.
