A federal jury in Brooklyn has convicted Asif Merchant, also known as Asif Raza Merchant, on charges of murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism that crosses national borders. Merchant, a trained operative with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), admitted during his trial that he was sent by the Iranian government to the United States in 2024 to plan political assassinations. Authorities intercepted the plot before any attack occurred.
Merchant arrived in the U.S. in April 2024 and met with individuals he believed were hitmen in New York two months later. These individuals were undercover law enforcement officers. He was arrested before leaving the country in July 2024 and now faces up to life imprisonment.
The verdict was announced by Attorney General Pamela Bondi, Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge at the FBI's New York Field Office.
“This man landed on American soil hoping to kill President Trump — instead, he was met with the might of American law enforcement,” said Attorney General Bondi. “The Department of Justice will remain ever-vigilant to protect Americans, prosecute terrorists, and halt acts of terrorism before they happen.”
“Iran’s terrorist regime sent Asif Merchant here to sow mayhem and murder,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “Thanks to the vigilance of our law enforcement partners, his scheme ended in failure. Today, with Merchant’s conviction, that failure is complete. Our Office will always remain vigilant in our mission to protect the United States from foreign terrorist adversaries.”
Nocella also thanked several FBI field offices across Dallas, Houston, Tampa, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago and Albany for their work on this case as well as local partners including the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force and NYPD.
“At the direction of the Iranian regime, Asif Merchant plotted to assassinate a United States politician or government official on American soil,” stated FBI Assistant Director Barnacle. “This foiled scheme motivated by vengeance for U.S. actions against the Iranian regime sought to strike at the heart of our democracy. May today's conviction illustrate the FBI's resolute commitment to protect the homeland from the Iranian regime's craven efforts to wage terror on the American people.”
Trial testimony revealed that Merchant began working for IRGC around late 2022 or early 2023 after receiving training in intelligence tradecraft and countersurveillance tactics. In late 2023 he traveled within America seeking potential recruits for IRGC activities while maintaining contact with his handler through multiple trips back to Iran.
By 2024 he had been tasked specifically with recruiting hitmen willing to kill one out of three named U.S. officials or politicians—among those mentioned were former President Donald J. Trump; current President Joseph Biden; and Ambassador Nikki Haley—with instructions motivated by revenge over Qasem Soleimani’s death.
Merchant tried enlisting help from an acquaintance who reported him to authorities and became a confidential source (CS). During meetings recorded by law enforcement agents posing as co-conspirators (UCs), Merchant detailed possible assassination scenarios and discussed payments totaling $5,000 as an advance fee for carrying out an attack after his departure from America.
Law enforcement arrested him on July 12 before he could leave following these meetings.
This prosecution falls under responsibilities handled by the U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of New York, which covers Brooklyn and nearby counties including Queens and Staten Island. The office oversees both criminal prosecutions—including cases involving terrorism—and civil representation. It maintains offices in Brooklyn and Central Islip supporting community outreach initiatives. The district serves as its designated federal prosecutor’s office.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sara K. Winik, Nina C. Gupta and Gilbert Rein along with support from Deputy Chief Paul Casey and former Trial Attorney Jessica Joyce from DOJ’s Counterterrorism Section.
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