The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced charges on Friday against an Iranian man in connection with an alleged plot orchestrated by Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump, according to Reuters.
The accused, Farhad Shakeri, reportedly informed law enforcement that on October 7, 2024, he was tasked by the IRGC to draft a plan to kill Trump. Shakeri allegedly stated he had no intention of completing the plan within the timeframe set by the IRGC, the DOJ said in its statement.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei responded Saturday, calling the allegations a "repulsive" conspiracy by Israel and Iranian opposition groups to exacerbate tensions between Iran and the United States. His remarks were broadcast by Iranian media.
The DOJ identified Shakeri, 51, as a Revolutionary Guard asset based in Tehran. Shakeri reportedly immigrated to the United States as a child but was deported around 2008 after a robbery conviction. He is currently at large and believed to be in Iran.
Two New York residents, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt, who met Shakeri in prison, are also facing charges. They allegedly conspired with Shakeri to target a U.S. citizen of Iranian descent living in New York, an outspoken critic of Iran's government who has previously faced assassination threats.
Although prosecutors did not name the target, the details suggest Masih Alinejad, a prominent journalist and activist known for opposing Iran’s head-covering mandates for women. Alinejad has been targeted in the past, including a 2021 kidnapping plot and a 2022 incident involving a man arrested outside her home with a rifle.
Rivera and Loadholt are currently detained awaiting trial, and their attorneys have not yet commented on the case.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
