Asif Merchant. Justice Department via AP
A federal jury convicted Asif Raza Merchant, a trained operative of the Iranian regime’s global terrorist force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, for attempting to arrange political assassinations, according to a March 6 statement from the Justice Department.
Merchant, a Pakistani national, was apprehended on July 12, 2024, when he was setting out to leave the United States after failing in his attempt to murder high-ranking U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump. He conspired with undercover agents, who posed as assassins, in a retaliatory scheme against the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani.
