ISLAMABAD: A spokesperson for the Foreign Office stated that Islamabad is in communication with Washington and is awaiting more information following reports of a Pakistani national’s alleged involvement in a foiled assassination attempt on former U.S. President Donald Trump.
In an official statement, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said, “We have seen the media reports. We are in touch with the U.S. authorities and await further details.”
The spokesperson also noted the ongoing investigation, as mentioned by U.S. officials, and emphasized the importance of verifying the identity of the individual involved before issuing a formal response.
The U.S. Justice Department announced on Tuesday that a Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran has been charged in connection with a foiled plot to assassinate a U.S. politician or government officials.
Asif Merchant, 46, allegedly attempted to recruit individuals in the U.S. to carry out the plot in retaliation for the 2020 killing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ top commander, Qassem Soleimani, according to a criminal complaint.
Prosecutors claim that Merchant, who had spent time in Iran before traveling to the U.S., was charged with murder for hire in federal court in Brooklyn, New York. Court records show that a federal judge ordered his detention on July 16.
Attorney General Merrick Garland stated, “For years, the Justice Department has been working aggressively to counter Iran’s brazen and unrelenting efforts to retaliate against American public officials for the killing of Iranian General Soleimani.”
According to a U.S. official cited by CNN, FBI investigators believe that former President Donald Trump, who authorized the drone strike on Soleimani, and other current and former U.S. government officials were among the intended targets of the plot.
Court documents do not specify the targets of the plot, but Merchant allegedly told a law enforcement informant that there would be “security all around” one target, according to the criminal complaint.
A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to provide further comments, and Trump’s presidential campaign was not immediately available for comment.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
