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
Pakistan, Egypt reaffirm support for dialogue, diplomacy to resolve regional issues
- The development comes amid tensions over Yemen following the Southern Transitional Council advance into Hadramaut, Al-Mahra
- Saudi Arabia has invited factions in south Yemen to hold a dialogue in Riyadh to 'discuss just solutions to the southern cause'
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Egypt have reaffirmed their support for dialogue and diplomacy as the preferred means to resolve regional issues, the Pakistani foreign office said on Sunday, amid tensions over Yemen.
The development comes days after Saudi Arabia-led Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen said it conducted a “limited” airstrike targeting two shipments of smuggled weapons and other military hardware coming from the Emirati port of Fujairah into Mukalla in southern Yemen.
Coalition Forces spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said the weapons and combat vehicles were meant to support the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces, backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in Yemen's Hadramaut and Al-Mahra "with the aim of fueling the conflict." The UAE has since announced withdrawal of its remaining troops from Yemen, rejecting any actions that could threaten the Kingdom or undermine regional stability.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday spoke with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelatty over the phone and discussed the current regional situation with him, according to a Pakistani foreign office statement.
"Both leaders reviewed current regional situation and appreciated efforts of all parties in resolving issues through dialogue and diplomacy," the statement said.
Separately, Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry has invited factions in south Yemen to hold a dialogue in Riyadh to “discuss just solutions to the southern cause.” The STC on Saturday welcomed Saudi Arabia’s invitation to take part in the inclusive dialogue among southern Yemeni factions.
Disregarding previous agreements with the Arab Coalition, the STC group had launched a sweeping military campaign early in December, seizing the governorates of Hadramaut along the Saudi border and the eastern governorate of Al-Mahra in Yemen’s border with Oman. It also took control of the strategic PetroMasila oilfields, which account for a massive portion of Yemen’s remaining oil wealth.
Pakistan this week expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and reaffirmed Islamabad’s commitment to the Kingdom’s security.
“Pakistan expresses complete solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and reaffirms its commitment to security of the Kingdom,” Pakistani foreign office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi told reporters at a weekly news briefing.
“Pakistan maintains its firm support for the resolution of Yemen issue through dialogue and diplomacy and hopes that Yemen’s people and regional powers work together toward inclusive and enduring settlement of the issue, safeguarding regional stability.”
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a landmark defense pact in September last year, according to which aggression against one country will be treated as an attack against both. The pact signaled a push by both governments to formalize long-standing military ties into a binding security commitment.
