Pakistani Businessman Convicted in Alleged Iran-Linked Plot to Assassinate US Political Figure

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Pakistani Businessman Convicted in Alleged Iran-Linked Plot to Assassinate US Political Figure

A Brooklyn jury convicted Pakistani businessman Asif Merchant on terrorism and murder-for-hire charges linked to an alleged Iran-backed assassination plot. Prosecutors said the scheme targeted US political figures during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Published by Abhishek Swain | March 07, 2026

A US federal jury in Brooklyn has convictedAsif Merchant, a 47-year-old Pakistani businessman, on terrorism and murder-for-hire charges in a case prosecutors say exposed an alleged Iran-linked assassination plot on American soil.

The verdict followed a week-long trial in which prosecutors argued that Merchant attempted to hire individuals to assassinate a US political figure during the 2024 presidential campaign. Merchant now faces a possible life sentence.

During testimony, Merchant claimed he acted on instructions from a contact allegedly linked to theIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. However, he told the court that no final target was specified. According to court testimony, possible targets discussed includedDonald Trump,Joe Biden, and former US ambassadorNikki Haley, who briefly ran in the 2024 presidential race. Iran has denied any involvement in plots against US officials.

Authorities said the plan began to unravel after Merchant described his idea to an acquaintance, reportedly using objects on a napkin to demonstrate how an attack at a political rally could take place. The acquaintance alerted law enforcement and later introduced Merchant to undercover agents from theFederal Bureau of Investigationposing as contract killers.

Prosecutors told the court that Merchant gave the agents $5,000 in cash during a meeting in Manhattan and discussed arranging the killing of “some political person.” Investigators recorded several meetings as part of the operation.

After the verdict,Pam Bondisaid the case demonstrated the strength of US law enforcement in preventing potential threats.

Court testimony revealed that Merchant had previously worked in Pakistan’s banking sector before entering the clothing business. He maintained family ties in both Pakistan and Iran and frequently travelled to the United States for business.

Merchant told jurors he cooperated with the alleged scheme because he feared retaliation against relatives in Iran if he refused. Prosecutors, however, argued he took concrete steps to advance the plan and never reported the alleged threats to authorities.

He was arrested on July 12, 2024, while preparing to board a flight to Pakistan. The arrest came a day before a separate assassination attempt on Donald Trump at a campaign rally inButler, Pennsylvania, which investigators later said was carried out by a lone attacker.