A PAKISTANI national accused of plotting to assassinate United States President Donald Trump in retaliation for the killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani has been found guilty by a federal jury in New York.
AP cited prosecutors saying Asif Raza Merchant, who allegedly maintained ties with Iran, attempted to hire a contract killer to murder a US politician or senior government official. The verdict was delivered on Friday following a trial at a federal court in Brooklyn.
Soleimani, who headed Iran’s foreign military operations under the Revolutionary Guards, was killed in a United States drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020. Iranian officials have repeatedly vowed to avenge his death.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that Merchant had tried to organise an assassination inside the United States as an act of retaliation linked to Soleimani’s killing.
Merchant, however, told the court on Wednesday that he had been coerced into participating in the plan to protect his family in Tehran from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. He also claimed he believed the plan would be uncovered before anyone was harmed, according to multiple media reports.
He testified that he was never instructed to target a specific individual, but said his Iranian contact had mentioned three prominent figures during discussions about the plot: President Donald Trump, former president Joe Biden and former United States ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.
A spokesperson for federal prosecutors said Merchant was convicted on both counts he faced — transnational terrorism and murder for hire — and will be sentenced at a later date that has yet to be determined.
If given the maximum penalty, he could face life imprisonment.
Merchant was arrested on 12 July 2024 while attempting to leave the United States.
The case has drawn renewed attention as the United States and Israel carry out military strikes on Iran, which have killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
US officials previously said Merchant had “close ties to Iran” and described the alleged assassination attempt as “straight out of the Iranian regime’s playbook”.
Washington has said its actions against Tehran are intended to curb nuclear and missile threats, though recent military operations have also decapitated parts of Iran’s leadership. President Donald Trump has since demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” as the conflict escalates. - March 7, 2026
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