On Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice revealed an Iranian assassination plot targeting Donald Trump, accusing a man who claimed he received the request from a government official just before this week’s elections to kill the now president-elect.
Assassination Plot Against Donald Trump Uncovered
FBI investigators learned of the plot to assassinate Donald Trump while interviewing Farhad Shakeri, an Afghan citizen identified by authorities as an Iranian government agent. Shakeri had previously been deported from the U.S. after serving time on theft charges.
Shakeri informed investigators that a contact in Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard had instructed him two months ago to create a plan within seven days to surveil and, ultimately, kill Trump, according to a criminal complaint unveiled in Manhattan federal court.
Two additional men, reportedly recruited to carry out other assassinations—including that of a prominent Iranian-American journalist—were also arrested on Friday. Shakeri remains in Iran. “Few actors in the world pose as serious a threat to the national security of the United States as Iran,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in an official statement.
The plot, with charges filed only days after Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris, highlights what federal officials have described as Iran’s ongoing efforts to target U.S. government officials, including Trump, on American soil.
According to the criminal complaint, Shakeri disclosed some details of the alleged plots in a series of recorded phone interviews with FBI agents while he was in Iran. He told investigators his motive for cooperating was to seek a reduced prison sentence for an associate imprisoned in the United States.
This article was originally published in Spanish by Miguel Fernandez in CC News.