The U.S. Department of Justice has unsealed charges against Farhad Shakeri, a 51-year-old Iranian man, accusing him of involvement in an alleged plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump. According to the DOJ’s Friday statement, Shakeri is believed to be operating under orders from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and remains at large, reportedly residing in Iran.
Prosecutors in Manhattan allege that Shakeri received directives from IRGC officials last September to devise a plan for surveilling and killing Trump. The DOJ stated that Shakeri was instructed to create a detailed scheme within a week; however, he informed Iranian officials that developing an immediate plan was impractical. Following Trump’s election, IRGC officials allegedly postponed the assassination plan, believing it might be more feasible post-election.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said, “The Justice Department has charged an asset of the Iranian regime who was tasked to further Iran’s assassination plots against its targets, including President-elect Donald Trump.”
The DOJ also brought charges against two other individuals: Carlisle Rivera, 49, from Brooklyn, and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, from Staten Island. Rivera and Loadholt were allegedly recruited to carry out separate plots, including an assassination attempt on an American journalist critical of Iran. The two suspects appeared in federal court on Thursday and are being held in custody.
According to the indictment, Iranian authorities instructed Shakeri to consider further high-profile targets, including two pro-Israel Jewish-American businesspeople in New York and a mass shooting directed at Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka.
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