NEW YORK — A Pakistani man with ties to Iran has been arrested for allegedly plotting to assassinate a US official in retaliation for the US killing of Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani, the Justice Department said Tuesday.
Asif Raza Merchant, 46, allegedly sought to hire a hitman to assassinate a politician or a US government official in the United States, the department said in a statement.'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,' Attorney General Merrick Garland said.
The intended victim was not identified, but the attorney general said no evidence has emerged to link Merchant with the July 13 assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.FBI Director Christopher Wary said the Pakistani national had 'close ties to Iran' and that the alleged murder-for-hire plot was 'straight out of the Iranian playbook.
Nabbed In 'Plot' To Kill US Official
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