NEW YORK: A Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran is set to appear in US court on Monday on charges of scheming to assassinate an American politician in retaliation for the killing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards top commander Qassem Soleimani.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn say Asif Merchant, 46, spent time in Iran before traveling to the United States to recruit people for the plot.
Merchant told a confidential informant he also planned to steal documents from one target and organize protests in the United States, prosecutors said.
The defendant named Donald Trump as a potential target but had not conceived the scheme as a plan to assassinate the former president, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Court papers do not name the alleged targets, and no attacks were made. As president, Trump had in 2020 approved the drone strike on Soleimani.
There are no suggestions that Merchant was tied to an apparent assassination attempt on Trump at his Florida golf course on Sunday, or a separate shooting of the Republican presidential candidate at a rally in Pennsylvania in July.
Merchant faces one count of attempting to commit terrorism across national boundaries and one count of murder for hire.
He is expected to enter a plea before US Magistrate Judge Robert Levy in Brooklyn at 12 p.m. EDT (1600 GMT). Merchant was arrested in Texas on July 15.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations said in August that the “modus operandi” described in Merchant’s court papers ran contrary to Tehran’s policy of “legally prosecuting the murder of General Soleimani.”
Pakistani man to appear in US court on assassination plot charges
https://arab.news/beqea
Pakistani man to appear in US court on assassination plot charges
- Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn say Asif Merchant, 46, spent time in Iran before traveling to the United States to recruit people for the plot
- Merchant told a confidential informant he also planned to steal documents from one target and organize protests in the US, prosecutors said
Pakistan cabinet reviews private Hajj policy as mandatory pilgrim training enforced
- Cabinet sends draft Private Hajj Policy 2027–2030 to committee for further review
- Religion minister warns pilgrims who skip mandatory training will be barred from Hajj
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s federal cabinet on Wednesday reviewed proposals for stricter oversight of private Hajj operators, as authorities separately warned that pilgrims who failed to complete mandatory training would be barred from performing Hajj next year.
The cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, was briefed on a draft Private Hajj Policy for 2027–2030, which includes third-party registration and scrutiny of private Hajj operator companies, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
“The Federal Cabinet directed that the draft Private Hajj Policy 2027–2030, presented by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony regarding third-party registration and scrutiny of private Hajj operators’ companies, be referred to the Hajj Policy Committee for further deliberation in light of the views of Cabinet members,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.
The development comes as Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousaf said on Wednesday pilgrims who failed to attend both phases of mandatory Hajj training would not be allowed to perform the pilgrimage.
“Pilgrims who do not complete mandatory Hajj training will be barred from performing Hajj,” the ministry quoted Yousaf as saying during a training workshop in Islamabad.
Around 120,000 pilgrims are currently undergoing training at 200 locations nationwide, with the second phase scheduled to begin after Ramadan. The training aims to familiarize pilgrims with Saudi laws, Hajj rituals and safety protocols to prevent accidents in crowded areas.
Saudi Arabia has allocated 179,210 pilgrims to Pakistan for Hajj 2026, including about 118,000 seats under the government scheme, while the remainder will be handled by private tour operators.
Under Pakistan’s government Hajj package, the estimated cost ranges from Rs1.15 million to Rs1.25 million ($4,049.93 to $4,236), subject to final agreements with service providers.
