Posted on 03/05/2026 4:46:14 PM PST by nickcarraway
A man accused of hiring a hitman to take out US politicians, including President Donald Trump, says he was pressured by Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to devise the plot.
A man accused of plotting to kill US President Donald Trump and other top politicians told the court on Wednesday he was pressured by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to organise their assassinations.
Pakistan national Asif Raza Merchant, 47, was charged in September 2024 with seeking to hire a hitman to assassinate unidentified US politicians. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The IRGC — Iran's elite military organisation under direct command of the ayatollah — has previously sought to kill top US officials, including Trump, following the death of one of their commanders, Qasem Soleimani, in a US drone strike.
During his trial on Wednesday, Merchant testified that he was forced into the plot to protect his family in Tehran from the IRGC, adding that he thought he would get caught before anyone was killed, multiple media outlets reported.
(Excerpt) Read more at euronews.com ...
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Okay, so this is what they were talking about, not Butler.
He’s apparently telling the truth (at least about being hired, not necessarily his family), according to Biden’s DOJ.
From the press release:
“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,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will spare no resource to disrupt and hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran’s lethal plotting against American citizens, and will not tolerate attempts by an authoritarian regime to target American public officials and endanger America’s national security.”
“Working on behalf of others overseas, Merchant planned the murder of U.S. government officials on American soil,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “This prosecution demonstrates that this Office and the entire Department of Justice will take swift and decisive action to protect our nation’s security, our government officials and our citizens from foreign threats.”
Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to the FBI’s Field Offices in Dallas, Houston, Tampa, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago and Albany field offices for their partnership on this case. Mr. Peace also expressed his appreciation to the New York City Police Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection for their assistance.
“This dangerous murder-for-hire plot exposed in today’s charges allegedly was orchestrated by a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran and is straight out of the Iranian playbook,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “A foreign-directed plot to kill a public official, or any U.S. citizen, is a threat to our national security and will be met with the full might and resources of the FBI.”
“The complaint unsealed today underscores, yet again, that those who engage in lethal plotting on U.S. soil will face the full force of the American justice system,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the National Security Division. “The targeting of former and current officials by foreign actors is an affront to our sovereignty and our democratic institutions and the Department of Justice will use every possible tool to expose and disrupt this egregious activity.”
He just admitted to being a foreign agent, a spy. I’m not sure this will help his defense.
Apparently the man in Iran who sent him on this mission cannot regret his decision on account of being bombed into pink mist.
Make no mistake, the perp is a traitor.
This is exactly what I was referring to re a prior comment in another thread.
The coming days/weeks should prove quite interesting (cell activations).
The diapers they wear on their heads are actually amplifiers.
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