U.S. Charges Iranian Man in Alleged Assassination Plot Tied to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps
The U.S. Department of Justice announced charges on Friday against Farhad Shakeri, an Iranian man allegedly involved in a plot orchestrated by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to assassinate former President Donald Trump.
The accusation, stemming from what the DOJ describes as an IRGC directive, claims Shakeri was instructed in early October 2024 to develop a plan targeting Trump. Shakeri, however, reportedly informed law enforcement that he did not intend to execute such a plan within the specified timeframe, Reuters.
The charges come amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, with Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei dismissing the allegations as “repulsive,” describing them as a fabricated scheme by Israel and Iranian opposition groups abroad. Baghaei suggested that the alleged plot was intended to “complicate matters between America and Iran.”
Shakeri, 51, is described by U.S. officials as an IRGC operative currently residing in Tehran. According to the DOJ, Shakeri immigrated to the United States as a child but was deported around 2008 following a robbery conviction. His current whereabouts remain unknown, though he is believed to be in Iran.
In connection with this case, two New York residents, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt, were also charged. The two men, whom Shakeri reportedly met in prison, allegedly assisted him in another plot targeting a U.S. citizen of Iranian descent in New York.
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The individual, who remains unnamed in the DOJ’s announcement, is known as a vocal critic of the Iranian government and has previously been the subject of reported threats. While the DOJ has not released the intended victim’s identity, the description aligns with Masih Alinejad, a prominent journalist and activist who has criticized Iran’s head-covering mandates for women.
Alinejad has been targeted before; in 2021, four Iranians were charged in a kidnapping attempt against her, and in 2022, a man carrying a rifle was arrested outside her home.
Rivera and Loadholt have been ordered to remain in detention pending trial, though their legal representatives have not yet commented on the charges, Reuters.
This case marks another chapter in the long-standing adversarial relationship between the United States and Iran, underlined by accusations, diplomatic tensions, and complex international incidents.
The DOJ’s charges indicate a continued U.S. commitment to countering threats, particularly those tied to Iran’s influence abroad. As the legal proceedings unfold, the situation will likely add further complexity to the diplomatic landscape between Washington and Tehran.