The United States government has filed charges against an Afghan national for alleged involvement in an Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump. The US Department of Justice alleged on Friday (Nov 8) that Farhad Shakeri, 51, was tasked with killing Trump as part of an Iranian conspiracy. British media reported the news.
The complaint also states that Shakeri has not been arrested and is believed to be currently in Iran.
According to the complaint filed in Manhattan court, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard officer ordered Shakeri in September to spy on Trump and develop a plan to assassinate him.
“The Department of Justice has indicted a man who was ordered to carry out multiple assassination plots, including one involving President-elect Donald Trump,” said US Attorney General Merrick Garland.
The Justice Department also said two other men were also hired to kill an American journalist who was a vocal critic of Iran.
The men are 49-year-old Carlisle Rivera, and 36-year-old Jonathan Loadholt. They appeared in court in New York on Thursday. They have been detained pending trial.
There have been two separate assassination attempts against Trump this year. In July, Trump was shot in the earlobe when a gunman opened fire on him in Pennsylvania. Then in September, a man pointed a rifle at Trump while he was on his golf course.
According to the indictment, Shakeri was ordered to prepare a plan to kill Trump within seven days.
