US alleges Iranian man was hired to plot Donald Trump assassination

Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free

Your guide to what the 2024 US election means for Washington and the world

US prosecutors on Friday accused Iran’s government of hiring a man to set in motion plots to assassinate perceived enemies of the regime, including president-elect Donald Trump.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in September directed Farhad Shakeri, one of its assets, to surveil Trump and come up with a plan to kill him, according to an unsealed criminal complaint on Friday. He said he was told at a meeting in early October to put forward an assassination plan within seven days — if not, the attempt would have to wait until after the election, which they presumed he would lose.

Shakeri, who is Iranian, told the FBI in an interview he did not intend to do so, according to court filings.

Shakeri, who remains at large and is believed to be in Iran, was charged with murder-for-hire alongside two alleged co-conspirators — both from New York — in relation to a scheme targeting another US citizen of Iranian origin who is opposed to the Islamic republic. Shakeri’s two co-defendants made an initial court appearance in Manhattan on Thursday and have been detained pending trial.

“There are few actors in the world that pose as grave a threat to the national security of the United States as does Iran,” said US attorney-general Merrick Garland.

US officials earlier this year received information about an Iranian threat to Trump, prompting the Secret Service to increase security around him.

The 2024 presidential campaign, which culminated in Trump’s election victory on Tuesday, has been marred with threats and incidents of violence, as well as efforts by foreign governments, including Iran and Russia, to interfere with the vote.

Trump faced two unsuccessful attempts on his life during the campaign, and bomb threats appearing to come from Russian email domains briefly disrupted voting at some precincts in crucial swing states.

FBI director Christopher Wray said: “The charges announced today expose Iran’s continued brazen attempts to target US citizens, including president-elect Donald Trump, other government leaders and dissidents who criticise the regime in Tehran.”

Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Iran’s mission to the UN declined to comment.

When asked to focus on assassinating Trump, Shakeri told an IRGC official it would cost a “huge” amount of money, to which the officer replied: “we have already spent a lot of money . . . [s]o the money’s not an issue”, according to the complaint.