U.S. charges Pakistani with alleged Iran ties in murder-for-hire plot against Trump, U.S. officials

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U.S. charges Pakistani with alleged Iran ties in *******-for-hire plot against Trump, U.S. officials

8/6: CBS News 24/7 Episode 1

8/6: CBS News 24/7 Episode 1

53:39

A Pakistani national with ties to the Iranian government was arrested and charged with plotting a *******-for-hire scheme targeting U.S. government officials and politicians, according to charging documents unsealed Tuesday.

The man, 46-year-old Asif Merchant, is accused of planning to ************ current and former government officials across the political spectrum, according to multiple sources briefed on the investigation, including former President Donald Trump, who is also the *********** presidential nominee.

Intelligence about Merchant’s alleged plot was prominently among the information that prompted the U.S. Secret Service to further escalate security assets for the former president in recent weeks, the sources said.

Although the timing of the charges coincides with the July 13 ************** attempt against Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, there is no indication that Merchant’s plan of ******* is at all related to that *********.

“Law enforcement foiled the charged plot before any ******* could be carried out. Our ongoing investigation has not found evidence that this defendant (Merchant) had any connection to the ********* in Butler, Pennsylvania,” a law information official said in a statement to CBS News.

Robert Legare

Robert Legare is a CBS News multiplatform reporter and producer covering the Justice Department, federal courts and investigations. He was previously an associate producer for the “CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell.”

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