Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 04:34am on 05 Mar 2026,Thursday International
A Pakistani businessman, Asif Merchant, on trial in New York, testified that he was recruited in 2022 by a handler from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to plan assassinations of Donald Trump, then President Joe Biden and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley. Merchant said his family in Iran was under threat and he “had no other choice.” Arrested on July 12, 2024, he admitted traveling to the United States to hire hitmen, who were actually undercover FBI agents. Prosecutors argue he never alerted authorities. The IRGC, designated a foreign terrorist organisation by Washington, allegedly assigned him additional tasks including theft and money laundering. (PC: X)
