On Friday, U.S. prosecutors revealed charges in an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump and a prominent Iranian-American dissident journalist. The Justice Department states that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran directed this scheme to retaliate for the 2020 death of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike ordered by Trump.
Farhad Shakeri, a 51-year-old Afghan national currently believed to reside in Iran, allegedly received orders from the IRGC to devise a plan to assassinate Trump. Shakeri, along with two other men—Carlisle Rivera, 49, and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, both New York residents—were also implicated in a plot to assassinate an outspoken Iranian-American dissident in New York. Rivera and Loadholt are currently in U.S. custody and appeared in court in New York on Thursday.
FBI Director Christopher Wray condemned the alleged actions, describing them as part of a broader effort by Iran to target U.S. citizens and government leaders critical of Tehran. Trump, who narrowly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday’s presidential election, had faced two other assassination attempts this year, including a recent shooting at a campaign rally where he sustained a minor injury.
Iran’s foreign ministry dismissed the allegations, calling them “totally unfounded,” with spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei rejecting any Iranian involvement in an attack against U.S. officials.
The Justice Department described Shakeri as an “IRGC asset” based in Tehran, detailing his previous U.S. residency and his 2008 deportation following a 14-year prison sentence for robbery. In recent months, Shakeri reportedly recruited former criminal associates in the U.S. to work with the IRGC on surveillance and targeted assassinations. His associates Loadholt and Rivera allegedly conducted months of surveillance on a U.S. citizen of Iranian origin, likely Masih Alinejad, a journalist and vocal critic of the Iranian government.
A senior IRGC official allegedly contacted Shakeri in September to orchestrate Trump’s assassination. Shakeri, in recorded phone conversations with FBI agents, discussed his involvement, reportedly hoping to secure a reduced sentence for an imprisoned associate. He disclosed that the IRGC was prepared to pay a significant sum to execute the plot, with a deadline set for October 7. If Trump remained a target, the IRGC would reconsider an attempt post-election, expecting that he would lose, making him more vulnerable.
Iran has consistently denied accusations of targeting U.S. officials in retaliation for Soleimani’s death. Earlier this year, a Pakistani man linked to Iran pleaded not guilty in New York to charges related to an attempted assassination of a U.S. official. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has issued a $20 million reward for information leading to the capture of the alleged mastermind behind a separate plot to assassinate former White House official John Bolton.
