Federal prosecutors assert that Iran directed an operative to eliminate Trump prior to the election
Prosecutors stated that the suspected would-be assassin is thought to be at large in Iran.
TroibNews 
NEW YORK — Manhattan federal prosecutors revealed on Friday that the Iranian government directed an operative to assassinate Donald Trump prior to the 2024 election, marking the latest in a series of plots aimed at the former and potential future president in recent months.
Farhad Shakeri has been charged with murder-for-hire and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. He is thought to be in Iran and is currently at large, according to the prosecutors.
Alongside the assassination plot targeting Trump, Shakeri and two other men — Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt — face charges related to a separate murder-for-hire scheme involving a U.S. citizen of Iranian descent who has publicly criticized the Iranian regime.
A criminal complaint unsealed in Manhattan federal court alleges that during an FBI interview, Shakeri stated he was instructed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to surveil and eliminate Trump, referred to as “Victim-4” in the documents.
When Shakeri expressed concerns about the costs involved in the assassination, an IRGC official allegedly reassured him that “money's not an issue,” which Shakeri interpreted as an indication that the IRGC had already spent substantial resources on attempts to kill Trump and was willing to invest further.
Prosecutors indicated that on October 7, the IRGC demanded that Shakeri present a plan to assassinate Trump within a week. If that timeline proved unfeasible, they instructed him to delay the plan until after the election, anticipating that a potential Trump loss would make him easier to target. Shakeri reportedly conveyed in the FBI interview that he had no intention of proposing a murder plan within the specified timeframe.
According to the complaint, Shakeri is an Afghan national who immigrated to the U.S. as a child, later being deported in 2008 after serving 14 years in New York state prisons due to a robbery conviction in 1994. The complaint also notes that he developed a network of criminal associates while incarcerated to assist the IRGC in surveillance and assassination tasks.
In September and October of this year, while in Tehran, Shakeri voluntarily spoke with the FBI, reportedly hoping to secure a reduced sentence for another individual incarcerated in the U.S.
“Actors directed by the Government of Iran continue to target our citizens, including President-elect Trump, on U.S. soil and abroad,” stated Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. “This has to stop.”
FBI Director Chris Wray remarked that Iran “has been conspiring with criminals and hitmen to target and gun down Americans on U.S. soil and that simply won’t be tolerated.”
Earlier this year, Brooklyn federal prosecutors charged a Pakistani national believed to be plotting on behalf of Iran to assassinate high-ranking U.S. officials, potentially including Trump. This individual is accused of attempting to hire hitmen for the operation.
Separately, two Americans faced unrelated incidents involving attempts to assassinate Trump during the summer. Thomas Crooks was killed by the Secret Service after firing at Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania, while Ryan Routh was arrested and charged with attempted assassination after he reportedly waited with a semiautomatic rifle at Trump’s golf course in Florida during Trump's visit.
Trump has been a target for Iran since January 2020, when he ordered a drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s leading military general at the time. Following that event, Tehran has repeatedly vowed to seek revenge and has released videos depicting the deaths of Trump and others linked to the attack.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
Farhad Shakeri has been charged with murder-for-hire and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. He is thought to be in Iran and is currently at large, according to the prosecutors.
Alongside the assassination plot targeting Trump, Shakeri and two other men — Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt — face charges related to a separate murder-for-hire scheme involving a U.S. citizen of Iranian descent who has publicly criticized the Iranian regime.
A criminal complaint unsealed in Manhattan federal court alleges that during an FBI interview, Shakeri stated he was instructed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to surveil and eliminate Trump, referred to as “Victim-4” in the documents.
When Shakeri expressed concerns about the costs involved in the assassination, an IRGC official allegedly reassured him that “money's not an issue,” which Shakeri interpreted as an indication that the IRGC had already spent substantial resources on attempts to kill Trump and was willing to invest further.
Prosecutors indicated that on October 7, the IRGC demanded that Shakeri present a plan to assassinate Trump within a week. If that timeline proved unfeasible, they instructed him to delay the plan until after the election, anticipating that a potential Trump loss would make him easier to target. Shakeri reportedly conveyed in the FBI interview that he had no intention of proposing a murder plan within the specified timeframe.
According to the complaint, Shakeri is an Afghan national who immigrated to the U.S. as a child, later being deported in 2008 after serving 14 years in New York state prisons due to a robbery conviction in 1994. The complaint also notes that he developed a network of criminal associates while incarcerated to assist the IRGC in surveillance and assassination tasks.
In September and October of this year, while in Tehran, Shakeri voluntarily spoke with the FBI, reportedly hoping to secure a reduced sentence for another individual incarcerated in the U.S.
“Actors directed by the Government of Iran continue to target our citizens, including President-elect Trump, on U.S. soil and abroad,” stated Manhattan U.S. Attorney Damian Williams. “This has to stop.”
FBI Director Chris Wray remarked that Iran “has been conspiring with criminals and hitmen to target and gun down Americans on U.S. soil and that simply won’t be tolerated.”
Earlier this year, Brooklyn federal prosecutors charged a Pakistani national believed to be plotting on behalf of Iran to assassinate high-ranking U.S. officials, potentially including Trump. This individual is accused of attempting to hire hitmen for the operation.
Separately, two Americans faced unrelated incidents involving attempts to assassinate Trump during the summer. Thomas Crooks was killed by the Secret Service after firing at Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania, while Ryan Routh was arrested and charged with attempted assassination after he reportedly waited with a semiautomatic rifle at Trump’s golf course in Florida during Trump's visit.
Trump has been a target for Iran since January 2020, when he ordered a drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s leading military general at the time. Following that event, Tehran has repeatedly vowed to seek revenge and has released videos depicting the deaths of Trump and others linked to the attack.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
