A Pakistani businessman working at the direction of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been convicted of orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot targeting President Donald Trump and other American politicians, with the would-be assassin chillingly comparing his scheme to the Butler, Pennsylvania shooting attempt.
Asif Merchant told an FBI agent he believed Iran "was responsible" for the assassination attempt on President Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, though the bureau found no evidence linking Iran to that attack. However, Merchant's own Iran-backed plot was very real and very dangerous.
The conviction, which came down on Friday, exposes yet another foreign attempt to interfere in American politics by targeting our democratically elected leaders. Social media users are spreading awareness of this critical story, with one posting: "A Pakistani man, Asif Merchant, accused of plotting with the Iranian government to murder American politicians, including President Trump, was convicted on Friday of orchestrating a scheme that involved hiring hit men, stealing documents and assassinating."
This isn't just another random threat - this was a coordinated effort by Iran's terrorist regime to eliminate President Trump. Merchant came to the United States specifically at the direction of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the same organization designated as a terrorist group by the Trump administration.
During court proceedings, Merchant claimed Iran had blackmailed him into the murder-for-hire scheme, saying he went along with it to protect himself. But Patriots know the truth: Iran has been gunning for President Trump ever since he took out their top terrorist, Qasem Soleimani, and reimposed crippling sanctions on their rogue regime.
The plot involved hiring hitmen, stealing sensitive documents, and carrying out assassinations - a multi-pronged attack on American sovereignty orchestrated by one of our greatest enemies.
This conviction should serve as a wake-up call to every American: foreign enemies are actively working to undermine our democracy and eliminate leaders who put America First. How many more Iran-backed terror plots are out there, and what is our intelligence community doing to stop them?
Award-winning journalist covering breaking news, politics & culture for Next News Network.
Source: Next News Network