Karachi (News Desk) The United
States has arrested a Pakistani citizen named Asif Merchant on the charge of
'planning to kill a politician or government official' on American soil. He is
currently in the custody of US authorities in New York and is being prosecuted.
According to the US Department of Justice, 46-year-old Asif Merchant has
alleged links with the Iranian government. was It is alleged that he also tried
to recruit a 'hitman' i.e. a hired killer in New York who was an FBI agent.
According to the White House spokesman, Asif Merchant has nothing to do with
the attack on Donald Trump, the FBI director says that this plan is the result
of a well-thought-out strategy by Iran, Asif Merchant was born in Karachi,
banking department. has been associated with, has held various positions in
different banks, according to his profile he has been a branch manager of a
bank in Punjab for more than eleven and a half years, he graduated from Newport
Institute of Commerce and Economics.
A master's degree holder who has
traveled to Syria, Iran and Iraq several times, documents filed by prosecutors
in federal court in Brooklyn on Tuesday show that US authorities claim that
Asif foiled the assassination plot by Merchant and prevented any such attack
from taking place. The documents submitted by the Justice Department did not
name the alleged targets. However, in the news of the American media, with
reference to the sources of the FBI, it has been said that the name of the
former American President Donald Trump is included in these targets because he
approved the drone attack on the Iranian general Qassem Soleimani during the
year 2020. According to court documents, during April 2024, Asif Merchant spent
some time in Iran and after that he came to America from Pakistan.
The person Asif Merchant
allegedly contacted reported him to law enforcement in New York. Court
documents allege that Asif Merchant contacted the informant in early June. met
in New York during which he told the man the details of the assassination plan.
Merchant is alleged to have planned to steal documents from the target's
home, stage a demonstration, and assassinate a politician or government
official. He is alleged to have met a hitman who was actually an undercover
officer during June and paid him an advance of five thousand dollars for the
murder. According to court documents, Asif Merchant allegedly committed the
murder.
Before the completion of the
project, he wanted to leave America on July 12 and he had also booked a flight
in this regard. But on the same day, the American authorities arrested him so
that he could not leave the country. On this occasion, the American Attorney
General Merrick B. Garland said that Iran has been trying to avenge the killing
of Iranian General Soleimani for many years, which the Department of Justice
has done. is being aggressively thwarted by The Department of Justice should
use all possible resourcesFBI Director Christopher Wray has claimed that the
arrested Pakistani citizen Asif Merchant has close ties to Iran and this plan.
It is the result of a well-thought-out strategy by Iran. "An attempt to
kill any American citizen or government official is a threat to our national
security. The FBI will fight it with all resources. US Attorney Brian Pace
thanked the New York Police, Attorney's Office, US Customs and Border
Protection in this regard, in addition to the FBI. Acting Assistant Director of
the FBI, Christy Curtis, said: 'Fortunately, the killers Merchant tried to
recruit were undercover FBI agents. Meanwhile, Foreign Office Spokesperson
Mumtaz Zahra Baloch has said that they have seen the media reports about Asif
Merchant, they are in touch with the American officials, and are waiting for
more details. We would like to verify the background information of Asif
Merchant before giving an official response.
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