Trump assassination bid: US justice department files charges over alleged Iranian plot

The US Justice Department on Friday unsealed criminal charges in connection with an Iranian plot to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump before this week's election.
A federal complaint filed in Manhattan accuses an unnamed Iranian official from the Revolutionary Guard of directing a contact in September to develop a plan to surveil and kill Trump.
The complaint states that if Farjad Shakeri, the contact, was unable to develop a plan by the specified time and the Iranian official instructed him to halt the plot until after the presidential election, as the official believed Trump would lose, making it easier to carry out the assassination later.
According to authorities, Farhad Shakeri, aged 51, an Afghan citizen thought to be in Iran, received instructions from the IRGC to devise a scheme targeting Trump, who emerged victorious against Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday's US presidential contest.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said, "The charges announced today expose Iran's continued brazen attempts to target US citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump, other government leaders and dissidents who criticize the regime in Tehran."
Trump encountered two additional assassination attempts this year, including an incident at a campaign event where a bullet passed close to his ear.
Shakeri revealed the Trump assassination plot during telephone discussions with FBI agents, seeking sentence reduction for an imprisoned associate. He described being approached by an IRGC official in September about organising Trump's assassination.
When Shakeri mentioned the "huge" cost, the official responded: "Money's not an issue." By October 7, he received a seven-day deadline for the plan. The IRGC suggested targeting Trump post-election if the initial timeline proved unfeasible.
The US government has consistently accused Iran of plotting against US officials, citing retaliation for Soleimani's death. Iran denies these allegations.
Earlier this year, a Pakistani national with alleged Iranian connections pleaded not guilty in New York to charges of attempting to arrange a hitman targeting a US politician or official.
The State Department offers $20 million for information leading to the capture of the suspected Iranian orchestrator of a plot against former White House official John Bolton.
In a separate case, two New York residents, Carlisle Rivera, 49, and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, face charges for conspiring against an Iranian-American dissident in New York. Both appeared before a court in New York on Thursday.