HOUSTON — A Pakistani man with ties to Iran was arrested in Houston – charged in a plot targeting U.S. government officials and politicians.
According to CBS News, those alleged targets included former President Donald Trump. FBI Houston spokesperson Connor Hagan confirms the arrest of 46-year-old Asif Merchant in the Houston area early last month after they say he began planning the assassinations.
That arrest came just a day before a man shot former President Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania. However, the feds say they have not found any evidence connecting Merchant to that assassination attempt.
The FBI says this plot dates back to at least April, when Merchant flew from Pakistan to Houston.
The case disclosed by the Justice Department on Tuesday is the latest murder-for-hire plot originating from abroad to target American public figures, coming two years after officials disrupted a separate scheme that they said was aimed at former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton.
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