Pakistani Accused of Plotting to Kill Trump and Biden Blames Iranian Coercion

In a dramatic turn of events, a Pakistani national named Asif Merchant has testified in a Brooklyn federal court, claiming Iranian intelligence operatives coerced him into a plot to assassinate prominent American political figures, including Donald Trump and Joe Biden. The New York Post reported on Merchant's courtroom account on Wednesday, where he expressed that his involvement was under duress to protect his family.

Merchant, who stands accused of terrorism and murder-for-hire, recounted how he felt trapped into complying. 'I had no other options. My family was threatened,' he told the jury. Allegedly, Merchant, previously a banker, provided USD 5,000 to what he believed were assassins, who were undercover FBI agents.

The defendant described his engagement with an Iranian handler in April 2024, where he was instructed to travel to the U.S. supposedly to murder someone. Initially without specifics, Merchant was later given three names: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Nikki Haley. Merchant has pled not guilty since his August 2024 arrest and insists that his actions were coerced by threats to his family in Iran, notably by a man identified as Mehrdad Yousef of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.