FBI arresting Pakistanis for conspiring against US politicians
In 2020, then-US President Trump ordered a drone strike on a prominent Iranian general. Tehran referred to it as a war crime and seemingly sought revenge. However, an assassination plot failed as the assassin accidentally encountered covert FBI agents.
In the US, a 46-year-old man from Pakistan has been arrested for his alleged involvement in an assassination plot against a US politician. According to the Justice Department and FBI, the man traveled to the US after a stay in Iran in April and sought potential accomplices. However, these were reportedly undercover FBI agents. The man was taken into custody in mid-July, just before he planned to leave the US again.
The identity of the politician targeted in the plot is not being disclosed by the Justice Department and FBI. US media reports suggest that the target was Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, with the plot being a retaliation for the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. There is no connection to the assassination attempt on Trump in July, in which the Republican was injured.
Soleimani was a powerful commander of the so-called Quds Brigades. In 2020, he was killed in an Iraqi drone strike ordered by then-President Trump. "The US Department of Justice has thwarted for years the brazen and relentless efforts by Iran to exact revenge against American politicians for the killing of Iranian general Soleimani," said US Attorney General Merrick Garland in a statement following the arrest of the 46-year-old Pakistani man.
Iran rejects allegations
FBI Director Christopher Wray added: "This dangerous assassination plot, as outlined in today's indictment, was allegedly orchestrated by a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran and straight out of the Iranian playbook. A foreign-directed plot to assassinate a US politician is a threat to our national security and will be aggressively pursued using the full power of the FBI."
US media first reported on the possible plot in July. Iran rejected the allegations: "These are baseless and politically motivated accusations," said a spokesperson for Iran's UN mission in New York. Trump is a war criminal in the eyes of Iran, and he should be prosecuted and punished, the spokesperson added. "But Iran has chosen the legal path in this regard."
The Secret Service was also informed by the US government about the plot and subsequently beefed up its security measures for Trump. However, the Secret Service could not prevent the assassination attempt at a campaign event in Pennsylvania.
The Republican presidential candidate in question was Donald Trump. The plot against him was reportedly a form of retaliation for the drone strike ordered by then-President Trump, which led to the death of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
