What sounds like the outline of a political thriller is now playing out in a Brooklyn courtroom. On Wednesday, federal prosecutors opened their case against Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national accused of trying to hire hit men to kill a U.S. political figure. Prosecutors say Merchant came into the United States in April 2024 after a stint in Iran, tried to line up killers in New York, and handed what he thought were hired guns a $5,000 down payment before he was arrested last July while attempting to leave the country. If jurors convict him on the terrorism and murder-for-hire charges, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Prosecutors' account from court filings
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, court papers say Merchant first approached a confidential source in early June and started gaming out assassination scenarios by sliding objects around on a napkin. The filings describe a three-part plan: steal documents, stage protests and, as the final step, kill what Merchant allegedly called a “political person.” Prosecutors say the supposed contract killers Merchant met were actually undercover officers and that he handed them an advance payment to get things started.
Targeting and the Trump connection
The New York Times reports that prosecutors and related documents say Merchant discussed several high-profile U.S. leaders, including former President Donald J. Trump, as possible targets, with a plan to settle on a specific political figure only after he had left the country. Officials have told reporters they have found no evidence tying Merchant to the separate July shooting at a Trump rally, according to The Washington Post.
How the sting unfolded
The case did not come to light by accident. One of Merchant’s contacts went to law enforcement, agreed to act as a confidential informant, and then joined meetings with Merchant and undercover officers in New York, TIME and court documents show. Those records describe a code built around clothing: “tee‑shirt” for protests, “flannel shirt” for theft, and “fleece jacket” for the assassination phase. Video and audio recordings cited in the filings capture meetings in which Merchant allegedly passed along cash as an advance for the job.
Why authorities point to Iran
U.S. officials say Merchant spent time in Iran and argue the alleged scheme fits a pattern of plots they attribute to Iranian operatives seeking payback for the 2020 U.S. strike that killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani. In a statement quoted in the filings, senior Justice Department and FBI officials describe the charged plot as consistent with past operations linked to Iran and underline that disrupting such plans is a top national-security priority.
Legal stakes and next steps
Prosecutors secured a superseding indictment last year that tacked a terrorism charge onto the original murder-for-hire count. That new charge carries a potential life sentence and seeks forfeiture of seized devices and funds, according to Courthouse News Service. Merchant has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody as the trial moves forward in Brooklyn, where prosecutors plan to roll out the undercover recordings and other evidence gathered during the sting.
What to watch
The trial is expected to turn heavily on what undercover material the judge allows jurors to see and hear, and how the court weighs secrecy concerns against Merchant’s right to mount a full defense. National-security officials say this is one of several alleged Iran-linked plots in recent years and argue it shows why they are increasingly focused on stopping schemes during the planning stage, long before anyone can try to turn talk into action.
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