Iran hires assassins to kill US President-elect Donald Trump, wanted to avenge death of terrorist Qasem Soleimani: Here is what happened

In a press release, the US Justice Department informed that the Iranian government has been actively targeting US citizens to take 'vengeance' for the elimination of Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.

On Thursday (7th November), the US Justice Department announced that it had foiled a plot by the Iranian Islamic regime to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump in the run-up to the election.

It has filed a criminal complaint [pdf] in a federal court in New York City, accusing the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) of hiring a 51-year-old assassin named Farhad Shakeri to surveil and kill Donald Trump.

Shakeri had recruited two other criminals, namely, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt, to carry out the sinister task. While the former remains at large, his recruited assassins were presented by the Justice Department before the US court in the Southern District of New York.

The trio was charged with murder-for-hire, conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organisation, money laundering and conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

In a statement, the US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said: “There are few actors in the world that pose as grave a threat to the national security of the United States as does Iran.  The Justice Department has charged an asset of the Iranian regime who was tasked by the regime to direct a network of criminal associates to further Iran’s assassination plots against its targets, including President-elect Donald J. Trump.“

Besides President-elect Donald Trump, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) also conspired to kill a vocal American activist of Iranian descent Masih Alinejad. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is now reportedly taking steps to disrupt the nefarious plans of Iran.

Details of the assassination plot hatched by Iran

In a press release, the US Justice Department informed that the Iranian government has been actively targeting US citizens to take ‘vengeance’ for the elimination of IRGC terrorist Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.

“The IRGC has publicly stated its desire to avenge the death of Soleimani, and, among its activities, the IRGC plots and conducts attack operations outside Iran targeting U.S. citizens residing in the United States and abroad,” it stated.

The US Justice Department informed that Farhad Shakeri, hired to murder Donald Trump, was deported from the US in 2008. He had been in prison for 14 years for robbery. Shakeri had used his criminal network in the US to conduct surveillance and conspire to kill the President-elect.

His recruits, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt, surveilled Masih Alinejad, a vocal American activist of Iranian descent, for months in exchange for $1,00,000 (~₹84.38 lakhs). The trio had shared messages and photographs, indicating their progress in locating her house

“In or about February 2024, Rivera and Loadholt messaged about an incoming payment from Shakeri and then travelled to Fairfield University, where Victim-1 (Masih Alinejad) was scheduled to appear, and took photographs on campus. In or about April 2024, Shakeri sent Rivera a series of voice notes discussing their efforts to locate and kill Victim-1,” the US Department of Justice said in its press release.

It further added, “In one voice note, Shakeri told Rivera that Victim-1 spent most of her time in particular locations of her home, and told Rivera that “you just gotta have patience…You gotta wait and have patience to catch her either going in the house or coming out, or following her out somewhere and taking care of it. Don’t think about going in. It is a suicide move”.”

The criminals also conduct surveillance of a location, frequented by activist Masih Alinejad in Brooklyn. The Iranian Islamic regime also directed the 51-year-old Farhad Shakeri to carry out other assassinations against US and Israeli citizens.

The Department of Justice revealed, “In particular, Shakeri has informed law enforcement that he was tasked on October 7, 2024, with providing a plan to kill President-elect Donald J. Trump”

“…Shakeri claimed he did not intend to propose a plan to kill Trump within the timeframe set by the IRGC. He also stated he was tasked with surveilling two Jewish American citizens residing in New York City and offered $500,000 by an IRGC official for the murder of either victim. He was also tasked with targeting Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka,” it added.