
The US Justice Department recently revealed a disturbing murder-for-hire plot targeting President-elect Donald Trump, allegedly orchestrated by an Iranian government official.
The plot was brought to light by Farhad Shakeri, an accused Iranian government asset with a criminal background, who claimed he was instructed by a contact in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to plan the assassination of Trump within a seven-day timeframe.
According to Shakeri, the official assured him that money was not an issue and that if the plan could not be executed before the election, it would be postponed until after, assuming Trump would lose and be easier to kill. The suspect, Shakeri, remains at large in Iran, while two other men recruited for assassination plots were arrested.
Attorney General Merrick Garland explained the severity of the threat posed by Iran to US national security, highlighting ongoing efforts to target American officials on US soil. This plot follows previous charges against a Pakistani man with ties to Iran in a similar murder-for-hire scheme targeting US officials.
The Iranian government has been accused of conducting other nefarious activities, including a hack-and-leak operation targeting Trump campaign associates during the election.
Intelligence officials believe that Tehran opposed Trump’s re-election due to his tough stance on Iran, including pulling out of the nuclear deal, imposing sanctions, and ordering the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.
Despite the assassination plot, Trump’s spokesperson stated that the president-elect remains undeterred in his mission to return to the White House and work towards global peace. The investigation into this disturbing plot underscores the ongoing tensions between the US and Iran, highlighting the need for constant vigilance and diplomacy in the face of such threats.
Meanwhile a British newspaper, The Daily Mail reports that FBI said it first recorded phone call on September 30, followed by October 8, October 17, October 28 and November 7. During the call, Farhad Shakeri gave up his co-accused, Carlisle ‘Pop’ Rivera, in one of those calls and detailed how the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps enlisted him to murder Trump after learning he had connections in America.
The newspapers says it is difficult to bring Shakeri to the US as Iran does not have an extradition agreement with the United States and tensions remain at an all-time high between the two nations. “American authorities therefore have no legal means to order Shakeri to return to the United States or give himself up to face punishment. Shakeri told authorities he met a senior member of the Revolutionary Guard through his work in Tehran in the ‘oil and fuel businesses,’” according the Daily Mail.
The man was referred to by others around him as Majid Soleimani, but Shakeri said he has no way of knowing whether the man is connected to late Iranian military officer Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated under Trump’s watch in 2020.
When Majid learned that Shakeri used to live in New York, he offered him a large sum of money to investigate – and ultimately kill – Iranian-American activist and journalist Masih Alinejad, the newspaper report.
- A Tell report