U.S. Uncovers Alleged Iranian Plot to Assassinate Donald Trump
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday revealed charges against an Iranian national, accusing him of involvement in a scheme—allegedly orchestrated by Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—to assassinate former U.S. President Donald Trump. Farhad Shakeri, identified by DOJ as a 51-year-old IRGC asset based in Tehran, reportedly disclosed to U.S. law enforcement that he received instructions on October 7, 2024, to devise a plan targeting Trump. However, Shakeri claimed he had no intention of carrying out the task within the IRGC’s directed timeline.
According to DOJ, Shakeri, a former U.S. resident who was deported around 2008 following a robbery conviction, is currently at large and believed to reside in Iran. The department highlighted Shakeri’s associations with two New York-based individuals, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt, whom he allegedly met while incarcerated. The duo, along with Shakeri, reportedly plotted to kill an Iranian-American citizen in New York, a vocal critic of Iran’s regime who had previously faced threats.
The targeted individual’s profile closely aligns with Masih Alinejad, a prominent journalist and activist known for her opposition to Iran’s strict hijab regulations. Alinejad was previously targeted in a 2021 kidnap plot involving four Iranians, and in 2022, a man was arrested with a rifle outside her residence.
Iran responded swiftly to the allegations. Esmail Baghaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, denounced the claims, labeling them as a “disgusting” scheme by Israeli and exiled Iranian dissidents aimed at inflaming U.S.-Iran relations. Rivera and Loadholt remain in custody pending trial, and their legal representatives have yet to comment.
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U.S. Uncovers Alleged Iranian Plot to Assassinate Donald Trump
