BBC:
A Pakistani man with ties to Iran has been charged over an alleged plot to assassinate Donald Trump and other US politicians.
FBI director Christopher Wray called the scheme a “dangerous murder-for-hire plot… straight out of the Iranian playbook”.
Asif Merchant, 46, is accused of attempting to hire a hitman in New York to kill prominent American officials. CBS, the BBC’s news partner, quoted sources as saying that Trump was among the targets.
Security for the Republican presidential nominee was increased in June after authorities learned of an Iranian plot to kill him.
“A foreign-directed plot to kill a public official, or any US citizen, is a threat to our national security and will be met with the full might and resources of the FBI,” Mr Wray said on Tuesday.
Mr Merchant was arrested in July and is being held in New York.
According to the justice department’s indictment, Mr Merchant arrived in the US from Pakistan in April after having spent time in Iran.
After arriving, he allegedly contacted a person whom he believed could help with the assassination plot. That unnamed contact later reported Mr Merchant to the police.
Mr Merchant allegedly made a “finger gun” motion with his hand when talking about what he wanted to do.
The indictment said the job would not be a “one-time opportunity” and that contacts services would be needed on an ongoing basis.
