ISLAMABAD: Washington has not held any discussions with Islamabad about a Pakistani man charged in the United States in connection with a failed plot to assassinate American politicians or government officials, a US State Department official said on Thursday.
The US Justice Department confirmed media reports on Aug. 6 it had charged Pakistan’s Asif Merchant, 46, for wanting to recruit people in the US to assassinate US politicians or government officials in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ top commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020.
Merchant, who prosecutors allege spent time in Iran before traveling to the United States from Pakistan, was charged with murder for hire in federal court in New York’s Brooklyn borough. A federal judge ordered him detained on July 17, according to court records.
Pakistan’s foreign office said on Wednesday it was in contact with American officials and was awaiting “further details” about the investigation.
“I don’t have any discussions to speak to today, but we have been clear that the United States will continue to do what is necessary to protect its people, including foreign officials, from threats emanating from Iran,” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a weekly press briefing in response to Merchant’s case.
“That continues to be the case and beyond that, it’s really a matter that I should leave to the justice department,” he added.
When pressed to speak further on the matter, Miller said it was an “ongoing legal matter” hence he could not share more details about it.
According to the Justice Department, Merchant arrived in the US from Pakistan in April 2024 after spending time in Iran. There, he contacted a person he believed could assist him with the scheme. That person reported Merchant’s conduct to law enforcement and became a confidential source (CS), it added.
Court documents do not name the alleged targets of the plot. Merchant told a law enforcement informant that there would be “security all around” one target, according to the criminal complaint.
Trump, the Republican candidate in the November 5 presidential election, was wounded in an assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania last month.
The US attorney general said investigators had found no evidence that Merchant had any connection to the shooting, which officials have said was carried out by a lone 20-year-old gunman.
The Justice Department said Merchant told the CS that the assassination would occur after he left the United States and he would communicate with the CS from overseas using code words. On June 21, Merchant met with the UCs in New York and paid them $5,000 in advance for the assassination.
Merchant subsequently made flight arrangements and planned to leave the United States on Friday, July 12, 2024, said the Justice Department. On July 12, law enforcement agents placed Merchant under arrest before he could leave the country.
US says no discussions held with Islamabad about Pakistani charged in foiled assassination plot
https://arab.news/2jxma
US says no discussions held with Islamabad about Pakistani charged in foiled assassination plot
- Washington says “will continue to do what is necessary” to protect its people from threats
- Asif Merchant attempted to recruit people in US to assassinate American officials, says Washington
Islamabad steps up vehicle checks to boost security as 166,000 cars get electronic tags
- Authorities say over 3,000 vehicles registered in past 24 hours as enforcement intensifies
- Extended service hours introduced to push full compliance with digital monitoring system
ISLAMABAD: Authorities in the Pakistani capital have intensified enforcement against vehicles without mandatory electronic tags with more than 166,000 cars now registered, according to data released on Sunday evening, as Islamabad moves to strengthen security and digital monitoring at key entry and exit points.
The Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration introduced the electronic tagging system late last year as part of a broader effort to regulate traffic, improve record-keeping and enhance surveillance in a city that hosts the country’s main government institutions, foreign missions and diplomatic enclaves.
Under the system, vehicles are fitted with electronic tags that can be read automatically by scanners installed at checkpoints across the capital, allowing authorities to identify unregistered vehicles without manual inspections. Vehicles already equipped with a motorway tag, or m-tag, are exempt from the requirement.
“A total of 166,888 vehicles have successfully been issued M-Tags so far, including 3,130 vehicles in the last 24 hours,” the ICT administration said, according to the Excise Department.
Officials said readers installed at checkpoints across Islamabad are fully operational and are being used to stop vehicles still without tags, as enforcement teams carry out checks across the city.
To facilitate compliance, authorities have expanded installation facilities and extended operating hours. The Excise Department said m-tag installation is currently available at 17 booth locations, while select centers have begun operating beyond normal working hours.
According to Director General Excise Irfan Memon, m-tag centers at 26 Number Chungi and 18 Meel are providing services round the clock, while counters at Kachnar Park and F-9 Park remain open until midnight to accommodate motorists unable to visit during daytime hours.
Officials said the combination of enforcement and facilitation was aimed at achieving full compliance with minimal disruption, adding that operations would continue until all vehicles operating in the capital are brought into the system.
The enforcement drive builds on a wider push by the federal government to integrate traffic management, emergency response and security monitoring through technology-driven “safe city” initiatives. Last month, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi reviewed Islamabad’s surveillance infrastructure and said reforms in monitoring systems and the effective use of technology were the “need of the hour.”
Authorities have urged motorists to obtain electronic tags promptly to avoid delays and penalties at checkpoints as enforcement continues across the capital.
