Trump has faced two separate alleged assassination attempts this year
In a significant move, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed an indictment on Friday against Farhad Shakeri, an Afghan national, alleging his involvement in an Iranian-backed plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump. According to the indictment, the 51-year-old Shakeri was instructed by an Iranian official within the Revolutionary Guard to devise a plan to surveil and ultimately kill Trump. U.S. officials noted that Shakeri has not been apprehended and is believed to be residing in Iran, which has dismissed the allegations as “completely baseless.”
Allegations of an Iranian-Directed Plot
The charges allege that Shakeri was ordered in September to submit a plan for surveilling Trump, with an objective of assassination. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized in a statement that Shakeri was allegedly directed to orchestrate a network of criminal associates to carry out Iran’s assassination plans, including targeting Trump and other U.S.-based critics of Iran.
Additional Targets and Arrests
Two other individuals were also charged in connection to this plot: Carlisle Rivera, 49, from Brooklyn, and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, from Staten Island. Both men were allegedly recruited by Shakeri to kill a journalist critical of the Iranian regime. While the journalist was not named, Masih Alinejad, a Brooklyn-based journalist, later stated on social media that two men had been arrested by the FBI for attempting to kill her, confirming that they had been seen outside her residence.
In addition to targeting Trump and Alinejad, the indictment claims that the Iranian government aimed to assassinate two Jewish American businesspeople in New York who supported Israel on social media. Shakeri was also reportedly directed to plan an attack against Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka, scheduled for October 2024.
Response from Iranian Officials
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, dismissed the U.S. charges, describing them as unfounded and a complication of ongoing U.S.-Iran tensions. Baghaei cited similar past accusations by the U.S. that were later proven false.
Charges and Potential Sentences
Shakeri, Rivera, and Loadholt each face charges of murder-for-hire, which could lead to a maximum sentence of 10 years, along with money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
This case underscores ongoing tensions between the U.S. and Iran, with alleged attempts to harm prominent U.S. figures and critics of the Iranian regime. The U.S. continues to investigate the extent of the network involved and any further risks posed by the alleged Iranian-backed assassination plans.
