By Luc Cohen
NEW YORK (Multibagger) - A Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran is set to appear in U.S. court on Monday on charges of scheming to assassinate an American politician in retaliation for the killing of Iran's Revolutionary Guards top commander Qassem Soleimani.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn say Asif Merchant, 46, spent time in Iran before traveling to the United States to recruit people for the plot.
Merchant told a confidential informant he also planned to steal documents from one target and organize protests in the United States, prosecutors said.
The defendant named Donald Trump as a potential target but had not conceived the scheme as a plan to assassinate the former president, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Court papers do not name the alleged targets, and no attacks were made. As president, Trump had in 2020 approved the drone strike on Soleimani.
There are no suggestions that Merchant was tied to an apparent assassination attempt on Trump at his Florida golf course on Sunday, or a separate shooting of the Republican presidential candidate at a rally in Pennsylvania in July.
Merchant faces one count of attempting to commit terrorism across national boundaries and one count of murder for hire.
He is expected to enter a plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Levy in Brooklyn at 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT). Merchant was arrested in Texas on July 15.
Iran's mission to the United Nations said in August that the "modus operandi" described in Merchant's court papers ran contrary to Tehran's policy of "legally prosecuting the murder of General Soleimani."
## Analysis:
An Iranian man, Asif Merchant, is facing charges in the U.S. for allegedly planning to assassinate an American politician as retaliation for the killing of Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian commander. Merchant, who spent time in Iran, recruited individuals for the plot and discussed stealing documents and organizing protests. Although Donald Trump was mentioned as a potential target, the scheme was not specifically aimed at him. No attacks were carried out, and Merchant faces charges of terrorism and murder for hire. The case highlights the complexities of international relations and the implications of political actions on individuals' lives and safety. It serves as a reminder of the ongoing tensions in the Middle East and the potential threats posed by extremist activities.