The Justice Department revealed an Iranian murder-for-hire plot targeting then-President-elect Donald Trump.
The big picture; An Afghan national, Farhad Shakeri, identified as an Iranian government asset, was approached by a contact in Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard to develop a plan to surveil and assassinate Trump.
- Shakeri disclosed the plot while being interviewed by investigators after his deportation from the U.S. due to robbery charges.
- Two other individuals recruited for different assassination schemes, including a well-known Iranian American journalist, were also apprehended.
- Attorney General Merrick B. Garland highlighted the grave threat Iran poses to the national security of the United States.
- The revealed plot comes amid ongoing Iranian efforts to target U.S. government officials on American soil, with previous cases demonstrating similar intentions.
