The US has charged a foreign citizen in connection with a plot allegedly ordered by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps to assassinate president-elect Donald Trump, the Justice Department said on Friday.
According to the department, Farhad Shakeri, 51, informed law enforcement “that he was tasked on October 7, 2024, with providing a plan to kill” Mr Trump.
In a statement, the department described Mr Shakeri as an IRGC asset believed to be residing in Tehran. He moved the US as a child but was deported in 2008 following his release from prison after a robbery conviction.
He allegedly told investigators that an IRGC contact had instructed him to put together a plan within seven days to watch and kill Mr Trump, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in federal court in Manhattan.
Mr Shakeri told law enforcement officials he had no plans to formulate a plan to kill Mr Trump within the IRGC's timeline, according to the department statement.
Two other men who the authorities say were recruited to participate in other assassinations, including a prominent Iranian-American journalist, were also arrested on Friday.
“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 criticise the regime in Tehran,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
The plot, whose charges were unsealed days after Mr Trump's defeat of Democrat Kamala Harris, reflects what federal officials have described as continuing efforts by Iran to target US government officials on US soil. Last summer, the Justice Department charged a Pakistani man with ties to Iran in a murder-for-hire plot.
Mr Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt in July, and in the weeks leading up to the incident, US intelligence had warned of an Iran-backed plot to kill the president-elect. There is no evidence the gunman had been tasked by Iran to carry out that shooting.
Iran's mission to the UN told The National at the time that the accusations were “unsubstantiated and malicious”.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Scores
Day 2
New Zealand 153 & 56-1
Pakistan 227
New Zealand trail by 18 runs with nine wickets remaining
List of alleged parties
May 15 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at
least 17 staff members
May 20 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'bring your own booze'
party
Nov 27 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff
Dec 10 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary
Gavin Williamson
Dec 13 2020: PM and Carrie throw a flat party
Dec 14 2020: London mayor candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff party at Conservative
Party headquarters
Dec 15 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
