(MENAFN- Khaama Press)
The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced that Farhad Shakuri, allegedly tasked by Iran with plotting to assassinate Donald Trump, is an Afghan national.
The criminal complaint, filed in Manhattan federal court, claims that a member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ordered Shakuri to devise a plan for Trump's assassination.
The Department of Justice publicly revealed these criminal charges on Friday, attributing them to an alleged Iranian plot to kill trump before the recent election. According to a DOJ statement, an unnamed IRGC official communicated with Shakuri in September, instructing him to create a surveillance and assassination plan targeting Trump.
U.S. authorities disclosed that if Shakuri could not carry out the assassination before the election, he was to postpone it until afterward. The official reportedly believed that if Trump lost the election, he would be an easier target.
American prosecutors stated that Shakuri's initial instructions included targeting other American and Israeli citizens. However, the IRGC later directed him to focus solely on Trump.
Shakuri reportedly lives in Tehran but had previously lived in the U.S. as a child. He was deported around 2008 after serving 14 years in New York on robbery charges.
Two American citizens involved in the plot have been arrested in the U.S., but Farhad Shakuri, the primary agent of the Islamic Republic of Iran, remains outside the United States. The U.S. Department of Justice claims that he currently resides in Iran.
In a recorded conversation, Shakuri allegedly told the FBI he did not plan to submit the assassination plan within the seven-day timeframe given by the IRGC official. He also revealed his orders to spy on two Jewish-American citizens in New York, with $500,000 offered for each assassination, and to target Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka.
According to the Department's statement, Farhad Shakuri is now living in Tehran, where he serves as an agent for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Justice Department has charged three individuals in connection with the plot to assassinate American citizens, including Trump. The suspects include Shakuri, Carlyle Rivera from Brooklyn, and Jonathan Ludholt from Staten Island.
The U.S. Department of Justice has charged these three individuals with“participating in a murder-for-hire conspiracy” and“conspiracy to commit money laundering.” If convicted, each of them could face up to 20 years in prison.
The DOJ statement mentioned that Shakuri's associates monitored an Iranian-American U.S. resident known as“Victim-1,” a vocal critic of the Iranian regime. This individual is believed to be activist Masih Alinejad, who confirmed that the FBI informed her of arrests linked to an alleged assassination plot against her.
This case emphasizes the grave security risks posed by alleged Iranian plots against prominent American figures.
These developments highlight the broader geopolitical tensions and the continued risks faced by critics of the Iranian government in the U.S.
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