Official announcements from the U.S. Department of Justice or FBI press releases

FBI Thwarts Elite IRGC's Iranian Plot to Assassinate President-elect Trump; Charges Unveiled Against Three

Nov 8, 2024, 05:47 PM

U.S. federal authorities have unsealed criminal charges in connection with a thwarted Iranian plot to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump before the recent presidential election. The Justice Department announced that a 51-year-old Iranian national, Farhad Shakeri, who is believed to be at large in Iran, along with two Americans residing in New York—Carlisle Rivera and Jonathon Loadholt—have been charged in a murder-for-hire scheme orchestrated by Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan, an unnamed IRGC official instructed Shakeri in September to plan the assassination, aiming to prevent Trump's potential re-election. The plot also targeted several Iranian dissidents residing in the United States. FBI Director Christopher Wray stated that the charges expose Iran's continued brazen attempts to target U.S. citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump. The FBI's intervention prevented the assassination attempt, highlighting ongoing threats from Iranian operatives against U.S. government officials and dissidents.