According to reports from Reuters, U.S. authorities have charged an Iranian man in connection with a plot allegedly ordered by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to assassinate Donald Trump, the U.S. Justice Department announced on Friday.
In a statement, the Justice Department said Farhad Shakeri, 51, had informed law enforcement that on October 7, 2024, he was tasked with developing a plan to kill Trump. Shakeri reportedly told authorities that he did not intend to carry out the assassination within the timeframe set by the IRGC.
Shakeri, described by the department as an IRGC agent based in Tehran, had immigrated to the United States as a child but was deported around 2008 after being convicted for theft. Authorities believe Shakeri is currently in Iran and remains fugitive.
Two New York residents, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt—whom Shakeri reportedly met in prison—have also been charged with helping him plot the murder of an Iranian-American critic of the Iranian government in New York. This individual had previously been targeted for assassination by Iranian agents.
While the victim’s name has not been officially confirmed, it closely matches the description of Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and activist known for her outspoken opposition to the Iranian regime, particularly its laws requiring women to wear headscarves. Alinejad was the target of a kidnapping plot foiled by U.S. authorities in 2021, and in 2022, an armed man was arrested outside her home.
Both Rivera and Loadholt are currently in custody awaiting trial. Their lawyers have not yet commented on the charges.
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