Jury Convicts Man Over Trump Murder Plot
A New York jury on Friday returned guilty verdicts against Asif Merchant. He was convicted on all counts tied to a murder-for-hire and attempted terrorism scheme that targeted President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials.
Prosecutors say Merchant arrived in the U.S. with plans that went beyond theft and protests. According to charging documents, he discussed stealing documents from a target’s home, organizing unrest and ultimately arranging an assassination.
Investigators say Merchant met in mid-June with people he believed were hired killers. Those individuals were undercover FBI agents. During the meetings, he sought their help with theft and murder and told them he would give names after leaving the country.
At trial, the government presented evidence that Merchant had ties to Iranian operatives and accepted a mission from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Jurors heard the argument that Merchant was acting at the direction of foreign handlers who wanted U.S. politicians targeted.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that Merchant “landed on American soil hoping to kill President Trump — instead, he was met with the might of American law enforcement.” Merchant now faces decades behind bars and could receive life at sentencing.
The timeline matters. Merchant was arrested on July 12, 2024 — one day before a separate shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania. Authorities have repeatedly said they found no evidence linking that Butler shooter to foreign actors or to co-conspirators tied to Merchant’s case.
During the trial, jurors were told that Merchant identified multiple political figures as possible targets. He testified that the mission included attending events and surveilling potential victims. The jury rejected any defense and found him guilty on charges that included murder-for-hire and attempting to commit terrorism.
Sentencing will be scheduled at a later hearing. Until then, Merchant remains in custody. The case highlights how undercover operations and federal investigations intersect in plots that threaten public safety and national security.
Pakistani national Asif Merchant — who admitted on the stand that he willingly worked for Iranian intelligence, had an IRGC handler, & agreed to assassinate Trump & others on behalf of the IRGC — was found guilty of the murder-for-hire plot by a NYC jury.https://t.co/Ltkodbqqlf
— Jerry Dunleavy IV 🇺🇸 (@JerryDunleavy) March 6, 2026