The U.S. Department of Justice charged an Iranian man, Farhad Shakeri, on Friday in connection with an alleged assassination plot orchestrated by Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to target newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump. According to the DOJ, Shakeri believed to be an IRGC operative, revealed to authorities that he was ordered on October 7, 2024, to create a plan to kill Trump. However, Shakeri reportedly told law enforcement he did not intend to act on the directive within the IRGC’s specified timeline.
In a statement issued Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei condemned the charges, calling them a "repulsive" scheme orchestrated by Israel and Iranian dissidents aiming to exacerbate tensions between the United States and Iran.
The DOJ described Shakeri, 51, as a Revolutionary Guard asset residing in Tehran, with a history of criminal conviction in the U.S., followed by deportation around 2008. Shakeri remains at large and is believed to be in Iran.
Additionally, two U.S.-based accomplices, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt, were charged with allegedly aiding Shakeri in planning the murder of a U.S. citizen of Iranian origin critical of Iran's government. The target, unnamed by prosecutors but reportedly aligning with the profile of journalist and activist Masih Alinejad, had previously been targeted by Iranian operatives due to her vocal stance against Iran’s head-covering laws.
This case marks a heightened period of diplomatic strain, with previous charges in 2021 and 2022 involving alleged Iranian plots against Alinejad, including attempted kidnapping and threats involving armed surveillance.
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