1 hour ago
2
A Pakistani man, Asif Raza Merchant, accused of plotting to kill US President Donald Trump and other top politicians, says he was pressured by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to carry out the assassination attempt.
DAILY POST recalls that Merchant was charged in September 2024 with seeking to hire a hitman to assassinate unidentified US politicians.
He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Revolutionary Guards have previously attempted to target top US officials, such as Trump, following the 2020 killing of one of their commanders, Qasem Soleimani, by the United States.
At the trial on Wednesday, Merchant tendered evidence that he was forced into the plot to protect his family in the Iranian capital, Tehran, from the Guards.
According to Merchant, he believed he would get caught before anyone was killed.
“My family was under threat, and I had to do this. I was not wanting to do this so willingly,” he said.
‘Iran pressured me’ – Man accused of plot to assassinate Trump confesses
