A large-scale assassination plot targeting the highest office in the United States has reached its legal conclusion. On Friday, a federal jury in Brooklyn found Asif Merchant , a 48-year-old Pakistani national, guilty of terrorism and murder by contract. He now faces a life sentence .

A plan orchestrated from Tehran

According to the prosecution, Asif Merchant did not act alone. The prosecution alleges that he received logistical and financial support from the Iranian government . The objective was to eliminate several prominent political figures, including:

1. Donald Trump
2. Joe Biden
3. Nikki Haley (former UN ambassador)

Other figures, such as former adviser John Bolton, have also reportedly been targeted in the past in retaliation for the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020.

The defendant's defense: coercion

Although he pleaded not guilty, Asif Merchant admitted to the acts while citing mitigating circumstances. Through an interpreter, he claimed he acted under pressure from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to protect his family who remained in Tehran.

"My family was threatened and I had no choice," he said, adding that he hoped to be arrested by US authorities before carrying out the act.

A successful FBI infiltration

The project failed thanks to an infiltration operation. In July 2024, believing he was recruiting hitmen to carry out assassinations, robberies and money laundering, Merchant actually dealt with undercover FBI agents .

While Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praised Donald Trump's resilience in the face of these threats, Tehran continues to firmly deny any involvement in these planned attacks on American soil.