Washington, USA – A Pakistani businessman who faces charges of plotting to assassinate the United States President Donald Trump told a US court that he was compelled to take part in the alleged plan, fearing for the safety of his family.
During his testimony before a federal court in Brooklyn this week, 47-year-old Asif Merchant said he was recruited by an Iranian official linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to hire criminals for the plot.
According to international reports, Merchant said the group first took interest in him because of his frequent trips to the United States.
He claimed an Iranian handler approached him and later eventually asked for his help in carrying out the operation in 2024.
Merchant told the court he agreed to cooperate because he feared for the safety of his family living in Tehran, Iran.
“My family was under threat, and I had to do this…I was not wanting to do this so willingly,” he explained.
He testified that the handler mentioned three possible targets in the alleged assassination plot — including then-U.S. President Joe Biden and Trump.
“He did not tell me exactly who it is, but he told me — he named three people: Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Nikki Haley,” Merchant said.
Merchant said that once he arrived in the United States, he was instructed to find criminals who could help carry out several tasks, including stealing sensitive documents and eventually arranging a political assassination.
However, media reports say US authorities had already been monitoring his activities.
The individuals he believed he had hired later turned out to be undercover agents.
Merchant has pleaded not guilty to terrorism and murder-for-hire charges as the trial continues.
He was arrested last July 2024.
IRANIAN OFFICIAL LINKED TO ALLEGED TRUMP PLOT, KILLED
Meanwhile, the US Defense Secretary said a recent American airstrike in Iran killed a senior official believed to be connected to the alleged assassination plot against the US president.
It remains unclear whether the official killed was the same person Merchant identified as his handler.
Iranian authorities, however, have strongly denied any involvement in assassination attempts targeting American leaders.