NEW YORK (Diya TV) — A federal criminal complaint unsealed revealed a chilling plot orchestrated by Iran to assassinate President Trump. U.S. prosecutors outlined the plan, which involved Farhad Shakeri, a man with a criminal history, tasked by Iranian officials to surveil and ultimately kill Trump in the final weeks of the 2024 election. Shakeri, currently at large, faces charges of murder-for-hire and conspiring with two New Yorkers, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt, who are also charged with planning separate assassination attempts.
According to the unsealed complaint, Shakeri communicated with his Iranian handlers throughout September, being instructed to have a plan ready for Trump’s assassination within seven days. The Iranian official told Shakeri that the financial resources for the plot were limitless. However, Shakeri later told the FBI that he did not intend to carry out the assassination within the requested time frame. The plot, intended to take place before the November 2024 election, was later delayed by Tehran officials, who believed Trump would lose the election and that it would be easier to target him after the vote.
The charges against Shakeri also include violations of U.S. sanctions and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Rivera and Loadholt, who were recruited by Shakeri during his prison term in the U.S., are accused of tracking the Brooklyn-based journalist Masih Alinejad, a vocal critic of the Iranian regime. Iran allegedly offered Shakeri $1.5 million to kill Alinejad, a target of previous assassination attempts by the Iranian government.
The plot is part of ongoing efforts by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to retaliate against U.S. actions, including the 2020 drone strike that killed IRGC leader Qasem Soleimani, ordered by then-President Trump. U.S. authorities have warned that Iran continues to pose a threat to U.S. citizens, including high-profile targets.
The feds also allege that Shakeri had plans to organize a mass shooting targeting Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka, further highlighting the global scope of the plot. The FBI’s investigation is ongoing, with U.S. authorities stressing the urgency of halting Iran’s activities on U.S. soil.
