Plot against politician foiled: FBI arrests Asif Raza Merchant

The U.S. Department of Justice has brought charges against a Pakistani national who allegedly attempted to hire a hitman for the assassination of political figures in the U.S. after a two-week stay in Iran. Investigators suspect that the targets likely included former President Donald J. Trump, according to a high-ranking law enforcement official. Asif Raza Merchant, 46 years old, was arrested in New York on July 12, a day before 20-year-old Matthew Crooks shot and lightly injured Mr. Trump at a campaign event in Pennsylvania, as revealed in a criminal complaint unsealed in Brooklyn on Tuesday. Authorities emphasize that there is no evidence linking the plan to the incident in Pennsylvania. Nevertheless, Merchant's arrest averted what is described as an extensive conspiracy. This included the theft of computer data from U.S. officials and the organization of protests against the U.S.'s treatment of Muslim countries. U.S. intelligence agencies had been monitoring potential Iranian assassination plans against Mr. Trump for weeks prior to the assassination attempt, prompting the Secret Service to enhance security measures for the campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania. However, it remains unclear whether the conspiracy revealed on Tuesday directly prompted these measures. Merchant, who has apparently been cooperating with investigators since his arrest, "orchestrated a plot to assassinate U.S. government officials and steal information on U.S. soil," according to the prosecution in the documents released on Tuesday. "After his stay in Iran, Merchant flew from Pakistan to the U.S. to recruit hitmen for his plan," the investigators say.