The US government has filed charges against an Afghan national linked to an alleged Iranian scheme to assassinate Donald Trump before he was elected president.
On Friday, the Department of Justice revealed an indictment against 51-year-old Farhad Shakeri, accusing him of being assigned the responsibility of devising a plan to assassinate Trump.
The US government has stated that Mr. Shakeri has not been arrested and is thought to be in Iran, which has characterized the allegations as “completely baseless.”
Prosecutors have filed a criminal complaint in Manhattan court, alleging that an official from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard instructed Mr. Shakeri in September to create a plan aimed at surveilling and assassinating Trump.
“The Justice Department has announced charges against an individual linked to the Iranian regime, who was allegedly assigned to oversee a network of criminal associates aimed at advancing Iran’s assassination schemes against various targets, including President-elect Donald Trump,”
Merrick Garland, the US Attorney General, made a statement.
The Justice Department has also brought charges against two additional individuals who are accused of being recruited to assassinate an American journalist known for his vocal criticism of Iran.
The justice department has identified the other individuals involved as Carlisle Rivera, 49, from Brooklyn, known by the nickname “Pop,” and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, hailing from Staten Island.
On Thursday, the two individuals appeared in court in the Southern District of New York, where they are currently held in custody as they await trial.
Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, stated that allegations regarding attempts to assassinate US presidents have surfaced previously, which Iran has denied and deemed unfounded.
Mr. Baghaei stated that reiterating such claims could “further complicate the issues between the US and Iran.”
This year, Trump has reportedly encountered two distinct alleged assassination attempts. In July, a shooting incident occurred at a Pennsylvania rally where a gunman fired at the former president, narrowly missing his ear.
In September, authorities apprehended a man for allegedly aiming a rifle at Trump while he was playing golf at his West Palm Beach course.
The indictment alleges that Mr. Shakeri was instructed to devise a plan to assassinate Trump within a seven-day timeframe.
Prosecutors report that Mr. Shakeri informed law enforcement that he had no intention of suggesting a plot to assassinate Trump within the specified seven-day period, leading Iranian Revolutionary Guard officials to halt the plan temporarily.
According to prosecutors, Mr. Shakeri reported that the Iranian government indicated it would be simpler to attempt an assassination of Trump following the election, as they anticipated his defeat.
Prosecutors characterized Mr. Shakeri as an Afghan national who immigrated to the United States during his childhood. In 2008, he faced deportation following a lengthy 14-year incarceration stemming from a robbery conviction.
According to prosecutors, the 51-year-old allegedly utilized “a network of criminal associates” while incarcerated, including individuals such as Mr. Rivera and Mr. Loadholt, to carry out surveillance on targets associated with the Iranian government.
Prosecutors have alleged that Mr. Shakeri offered Mr. Rivera and Mr. Loadholt a sum of $100,000 to carry out the murder of an American journalist known for reporting on the Iranian regime’s human rights violations and corruption. Prosecutors revealed that the unnamed journalist had previously been the target of attacks.
In a recent social media post On Friday, Masih Alinejad, a journalist based in Brooklyn, reported that the FBI had apprehended two individuals in connection with a plot to assassinate her. The woman reported that the individuals accused of the crime approached the front of her residence in Brooklyn.
“I came to America to exercise my First Amendment right to freedom of speech—I don’t want to die,” Ms. Alinejad stated. “The desire to combat tyranny is a fundamental right, and the pursuit of safety is necessary.”
The indictment reveals that alongside the American journalist and former President Trump, the Iranian government allegedly targeted two Jewish American businesspeople residing in New York City, who had expressed support for Israel on social media.
Mr. Shakeri informed prosecutors that his Iranian associates requested him to organize a mass shooting aimed at Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka in October 2024, following the Hamas attacks on Israel a year prior.
Mr. Shakeri, Mr. Rivera, and Mr. Loadholt face charges of murder-for-hire, a crime that could result in a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. The individuals are also confronting charges related to a conspiracy for money laundering, which carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, as well as conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire.
