New York, Mar 07 (V7N) – A US court has convicted Pakistani national Asif Merchant for plotting to assassinate former US President Donald Trump and other top politicians, in retaliation for the 2020 killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, according to the US Department of Justice and reporting by The Guardian.

Federal prosecutors revealed that Merchant’s 2024 conspiracy list included Trump, then-President Joe Biden, and former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who was a rival to Trump in the Republican presidential nomination.

Merchant was convicted of murder for hire and attempted terrorism across national borders. Court documents obtained by The Guardian indicate that in April 2024, a contact with Merchant alerted law enforcement agencies about the plot and later acted as a confidential informant. US intelligence foiled the attack before it could take place. Merchant had pleaded not guilty upon his arrest.

The trial, which began last week in New York City, revealed that Merchant admitted joining the plot orchestrated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He claimed he acted unintentionally to protect his family in Tehran and was not directly ordered to kill anyone, though the names of three US officials were mentioned during discussions with his Iranian handlers.

The trial coincides with escalating conflict in the Middle East. Iran’s UN ambassador reported that at least 1,332 Iranian civilians have been killed in US and Israeli strikes since last Saturday. Several top Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were reported killed. The US military said six soldiers and at least 10 civilians died in an attack on a facility in Kuwait.

Tehran continues to deny any attacks targeting Trump or other US officials.

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