US claims Iran scheming to murder Trump
Date
11/11/2024 7:08:41 AM
(MENAFN) The US Department of Justice has charged an Iranian national and two Americans with being involved in a murder-for-hire scheme to assassinate President-elect Donald trump and an Iranian dissident. The individuals named in the complaint, Farhad Shakeri, Carlisle ‘Pop’ Rivera, and Jonathon Loadholt, were indicted on Friday by the Southern District of New York. Rivera was arrested in Brooklyn, Loadholt in Staten Island, while Shakeri, believed to be in Iran, remains at large.
FBI Director Christopher Wray condemned the plot, stating that the charges exposed Iran's persistent efforts to target US citizens, including Trump, government officials, and dissidents critical of Tehran's regime. Shakeri, 51, who had been deported from the US in 2008 after serving a prison sentence for robbery, is accused of being an agent of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The DOJ claims he used a network of criminal associates to spy on and plot the deaths of targets.
According to the DOJ, Shakeri allegedly recruited Rivera and Loadholt, offering them $100,000 to kill an unnamed Iranian dissident. Shakeri also reportedly discussed a plan to assassinate Trump with the IRGC in October 2022. During interviews with law enforcement, Shakeri denied intending to carry out the plan within the IRGC’s set timeline.
All three men face multiple charges, including conspiracy, murder-for-hire, and money laundering, carrying up to 40 years in prison if convicted. Shakeri faces additional charges related to providing support to a foreign terrorist organization, violating US sanctions, and could face another 60 years in prison if apprehended and convicted.
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