The United States Department of Justice announced federal charges on Friday against three individuals implicated in a thwarted Iranian scheme to assassinate former President Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 elections, as reported by CNN.
Court documents unveiled that in September of last year, officials from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) tasked Farhad Shakeri, one of the accused, with surveilling and orchestrating the assassination of Trump, who was then a Republican presidential candidate.
Shakeri, who remains at large in Iran, had initially been directed by the IRGC to carry out a series of killings targeting both American and Israeli citizens on U.S. soil. However, in a shift of focus, he was instructed in September to concentrate solely on Trump, with a deadline of seven days to devise a plan for the execution.
According to authorities, Shakeri indicated in recorded conversations with law enforcement agents that if he failed to formulate a plan within the given timeframe, the IRGC might choose to wait until after the 2024 presidential elections, considering the possibility that Trump might not be reelected.
In addition to Shakeri, two other individuals were apprehended in New York. Carlisle Rivera and Jonathon Loadholt face charges for assisting the Iranian government in the surveillance of a U.S. citizen. Both appeared in court on Thursday and remain in custody pending trial.
The U.S. government has consistently voiced concerns about potential Iranian retaliations, particularly in light of the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani in 2020. Soleimani, a high-ranking IRGC commander, was killed in a U.S. drone strike. Iran has signaled intentions of vengeance, raising fears of potential attempts to target Trump or his former advisors in response.