Daijiworld Media Network – New York

New York, Mar 5: A Pakistani businessman accused of attempting to hire hit men to assassinate top US political leaders testified in a federal court that he acted out of fear for his family in Iran and never intended for anyone to be killed.

Asif Merchant, 47, told jurors during his attempted terrorism trial in Brooklyn that he was coerced into participating in the 2024 plot after being threatened by an alleged contact linked to Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

“My family was under threat, and I had to do this,” Merchant said through an Urdu interpreter. “I was not wanting to do this so willingly.”

According to his testimony, potential targets discussed in the alleged scheme included current US President Donald Trump, former President Joe Biden and former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.

Merchant admitted under questioning by Assistant US Attorney Nina Gupta that he had travelled to the United States with the purpose of hiring individuals he believed to be Mafia members to kill a politician. However, the supposed hit men turned out to be undercover FBI agents. He was arrested on July 12, 2024, a day before an unrelated assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The Iranian government has denied any involvement in plotting attacks against US officials.

The trial is unfolding amid heightened tensions following the recent Iran conflict that reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a strike — a development Trump publicly referenced in remarks about the hostilities. Jurors have been instructed to disregard ongoing news related to the conflict.

Merchant, who previously had a two-decade banking career in Pakistan before venturing into businesses ranging from garments to car sales and banana exports, testified that he was introduced in late 2022 to an intelligence operative linked to the Revolutionary Guard. Initially discussing informal money transfers through hawala channels, he later received instructions to identify US residents willing to work for Iran.

He claimed the handler eventually directed him to seek a criminal who could arrange protests, theft, money laundering and possibly murder. Merchant told jurors that the names of Trump, Biden and Haley were mentioned, though he insisted he was never given specific operational details.

Despite suspecting he was under surveillance after being questioned by immigration officials at Houston airport in April 2024, Merchant said he continued to follow instructions out of fear for relatives in Iran. He researched Trump rally locations, sketched a possible shooting plan and handed over $5,000 — borrowed from a cousin — as a “token of appreciation” to the undercover agents.

Prosecutors, however, argued in court filings that Merchant never approached US authorities to report the alleged coercion prior to his arrest. They also noted that during FBI interviews, he did not initially mention acting under duress.

Merchant countered that he believed agents would not accept his explanation. “They think that I’m some type of super-spy,” he said in court.

When asked by defence lawyer Avraham Moskowitz whether he considered himself a “super-spy,” Merchant replied firmly: “No. Absolutely not.”