Iranian Man Charged In US For Plot To Assassinate Donald Trump
Iranian Man Charged In US For Plot To Assassinate Donald Trump
However, Shakeri allegedly stated that he did not intend to comply with the IRGC’s timeline.
The United States Justice Department on Friday announced that it has charged an Iranian man in connection with an alleged plot by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump.
According to a statement issued by the department, Farhad Shakeri, 51-year-old, disclosed to law enforcement that he was directed on October 7, 2024, to develop a plan to kill Trump, Reuters reports.
However, Shakeri allegedly stated that he did not intend to comply with the IRGC’s timeline.
Shakeri is described by the department as an IRGC asset based in Tehran. He reportedly emigrated to the United States as a child but was deported around 2008 after a robbery conviction. Prosecutors believe he is currently at large in Iran.
Two New York residents, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt, whom Shakeri reportedly met while in prison, have also been charged.
They allegedly assisted Shakeri in plotting to kill a U.S. citizen of Iranian descent in New York—a vocal critic of Iran’s government and a previous assassination target.
Though the target was not identified, the description matches that of Masih Alinejad, a journalist and activist opposed to Iran’s head-covering laws for women.
Alinejad was previously targeted in a 2021 kidnapping plot involving four Iranians, and in 2022, a man armed with a rifle was arrested outside her home.
Rivera and Loadholt have been detained pending trial. Their attorneys have not responded to requests for comment.