US Claims Iran is Planning to Assassinate Trump
The Department of Justice has claimed that the president-elect was among those targeted by three individuals acting on behalf of the IRGC. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
An Iranian national, along with two Americans, has been charged in connection with a murder-for-hire scheme aimed at assassinating President-elect Donald Trump and an Iranian dissident, according to the US Department of Justice.
The individuals involved, Farhad Shakeri, Carlisle ‘Pop’ Rivera, and Jonathon Loadholt, were detailed in a criminal complaint released by the Southern District of New York on Friday. Rivera was apprehended in Brooklyn, while Loadholt was taken into custody in Staten Island. Shakeri, who “is believed to reside” in Iran, remains at large.
“The charges announced today expose Iran’s continued brazen attempts to target US citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump, other government leaders and dissidents who criticize the regime in Tehran,” stated FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Shakeri, 51, emigrated to the US as a child but was deported in 2008 after serving 14 years for robbery. The DOJ alleges that he is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, utilizing “a network of criminal associates he met in prison” to surveil potential targets and orchestrate their murders.
Rivera, 49, and Loadholt, 36, are accused of being promised $100,000 by Shakeri to track down and kill an unnamed Iranian dissident.
The Department of Justice claims that Shakeri participated in several “recorded interviews with law enforcement agents,” during which he indicated that he had been instructed by the IRGC on October 7 to devise a plan for assassinating Trump.
“During the interview, Shakeri claimed he did not intend to propose a plan to kill Trump within the timeframe set by the IRGC,” the DOJ observed. The reasons behind Shakeri's absence at this time remain unclear.
The trio faces charges including murder-for-hire, conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, with potential sentences totaling up to 40 years for a conviction. Additionally, Shakeri is charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to do so, and violating US sanctions on Iran, which could result in another 60 years of imprisonment if he is apprehended and convicted.
While the DOJ has stated that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty, both Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland have highlighted the indictment as evidence of Iran’s ongoing efforts to “actively target nationals of the United States and its allies living in countries around the world for attacks” prompted by vengeance for the death of IRGC Quds Force commander General Qassem Soleimani in 2020.
Soleimani was killed in a drone strike ordered by Trump near Baghdad airport in Iraq.
The 45th and soon-to-be 47th president of the US survived an assassination attempt on July 13 during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The shooter, identified as Thomas Crooks, a 20-year-old American, was killed by the Secret Service. In another incident, Ryan Routh was arrested in September for an ambush at a Florida golf course owned by Trump. No links to Iran were established in either case, although Routh had previously attempted to enlist Afghan veterans to assist Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
The individuals involved, Farhad Shakeri, Carlisle ‘Pop’ Rivera, and Jonathon Loadholt, were detailed in a criminal complaint released by the Southern District of New York on Friday. Rivera was apprehended in Brooklyn, while Loadholt was taken into custody in Staten Island. Shakeri, who “is believed to reside” in Iran, remains at large.
“The charges announced today expose Iran’s continued brazen attempts to target US citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump, other government leaders and dissidents who criticize the regime in Tehran,” stated FBI Director Christopher Wray.
Shakeri, 51, emigrated to the US as a child but was deported in 2008 after serving 14 years for robbery. The DOJ alleges that he is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, utilizing “a network of criminal associates he met in prison” to surveil potential targets and orchestrate their murders.
Rivera, 49, and Loadholt, 36, are accused of being promised $100,000 by Shakeri to track down and kill an unnamed Iranian dissident.
The Department of Justice claims that Shakeri participated in several “recorded interviews with law enforcement agents,” during which he indicated that he had been instructed by the IRGC on October 7 to devise a plan for assassinating Trump.
“During the interview, Shakeri claimed he did not intend to propose a plan to kill Trump within the timeframe set by the IRGC,” the DOJ observed. The reasons behind Shakeri's absence at this time remain unclear.
The trio faces charges including murder-for-hire, conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, with potential sentences totaling up to 40 years for a conviction. Additionally, Shakeri is charged with providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to do so, and violating US sanctions on Iran, which could result in another 60 years of imprisonment if he is apprehended and convicted.
While the DOJ has stated that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty, both Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland have highlighted the indictment as evidence of Iran’s ongoing efforts to “actively target nationals of the United States and its allies living in countries around the world for attacks” prompted by vengeance for the death of IRGC Quds Force commander General Qassem Soleimani in 2020.
Soleimani was killed in a drone strike ordered by Trump near Baghdad airport in Iraq.
The 45th and soon-to-be 47th president of the US survived an assassination attempt on July 13 during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The shooter, identified as Thomas Crooks, a 20-year-old American, was killed by the Secret Service. In another incident, Ryan Routh was arrested in September for an ambush at a Florida golf course owned by Trump. No links to Iran were established in either case, although Routh had previously attempted to enlist Afghan veterans to assist Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
Emily Johnson contributed to this report for TROIB News
