A Pakistani national with alleged links to Iran has gone on trial in New York after US prosecutors accused him of attempting to organise assassinations targeting American political figures, including President Donald Trump. Asif Merchant, 47, appeared before a federal jury in Brooklyn facing charges that could result in a life sentence if convicted. Authorities allege that he travelled to the United States in 2024 with the intention of arranging killings on American soil during the politically sensitive period leading up to the presidential election.
According to prosecutors, Merchant entered the US in April 2024 and soon contacted an individual he believed could help him hire contract killers. That individual instead alerted law enforcement and became a confidential informant, enabling the FBI to launch a sting operation. Investigators say Merchant later paid a $5,000 advance to two men he believed were assassins, who were actually undercover FBI agents. Prosecutors described this payment as a decisive step toward carrying out an attack that was ultimately prevented.
During the trial, prosecutors outlined how Merchant allegedly explained the planned operation using everyday objects placed on a hotel napkin to represent locations, crowds and the intended target, arguing that the demonstration reflected preparation and intent. While no final victim had been formally identified at the time, court filings indicated that senior US officials, including Trump, were among those under consideration, and the alleged attack was intended to occur before the November 2024 election.
Merchant has pleaded not guilty. His defence team has described him as a religious businessman who divides his time between Pakistan and Iran, where he maintains family ties, arguing that prosecutors lack concrete evidence linking him to an actual assassination conspiracy. The case has also drawn attention to broader US concerns about alleged Iranian retaliation following the 2020 drone strike that killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani, although Iran has repeatedly denied involvement in any assassination plots targeting American officials.
