The U.S. Department of Justice announced charges on Friday against three men—an Iranian national and two New York residents—accused of involvement in murder-for-hire plots targeting President-elect Donald Trump and other Americans. Prosecutors allege that the Iranian government directed these individuals to carry out plans on U.S. soil, as part of a retaliation effort for the killing of Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani under the Trump administration.
The individuals charged are Farhad Shakeri of Iran, along with Carlisle Rivera of Brooklyn and Jonathan Loadholt of Staten Island, New York. The criminal complaint states that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) official ordered Shakeri in September to surveil and formulate a plan to assassinate Trump, reportedly indicating Iran’s willingness to allocate substantial funds for the plot.
Around early October, the IRGC official tasked Shakeri with devising a specific assassination strategy within a week. The official purportedly advised that if Shakeri did not comply by the deadline, Iran would delay its plan until after the U.S. election, predicting a Trump loss would make him more accessible. Shakeri reportedly told investigators he did not intend to meet the IRGC’s timeline for targeting Trump.
In addition to Trump, Shakeri was allegedly assigned to surveil and target other individuals, including two Jewish Americans in New York and Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka. Prosecutors claim Shakeri sought to curry favor with U.S. authorities by cooperating in interviews with federal agents to reduce the sentence of an imprisoned associate.
Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung confirmed the former president is aware of the plot, stating that “Nothing will deter President Trump from returning to the White House and restoring peace around the world.”
In a related incident, Rivera and Loadholt, both based in New York, are alleged to have surveilled prominent Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad, who is known for her criticism of the Iranian government. Alinejad expressed shock upon learning of the charges, stating that she was informed by the FBI of the threat on her life.
Attorney General Merrick Garland condemned Iran’s actions, asserting that the U.S. would not tolerate attempts to endanger Americans. FBI Director Christopher Wray emphasized the severity of the threat posed by the IRGC, describing its attempts to collaborate with criminals to orchestrate attacks on U.S. soil.
The defendants face charges including murder-for-hire, conspiracy, and material support of a foreign terrorist organization. These charges carry potential maximum sentences of 40 to 60 years in prison.
