Iranian charged over plot to kill Trump was also told to target Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka - US

The U.S. Department of Justice has on Friday charged an “Iranian asset Farhad Shakeri,” who is accused in a plot to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, and claim that he was also tasked with targeting Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka.

The Justice Department on Friday announced federal charges in a thwarted Iranian plot to kill Donald Trump before the presidential election.

According to court documents, Iranian officials asked Farhad Shakeri, 51, in September to focus on surveilling and ultimately assassinating Trump. Shakeri is still at large in Iran, the Justice Department said.

This is a newly disclosed plot and marks yet another alleged attempt on Trump’s life by the Iranian regime, the CNN reported.

Prosecutors allege Shakeri – who participated in recorded conversations with law enforcement – was originally tasked by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps to carrying out other assassinations against US and Israeli citizens inside the US. But IRGC officials told Shakeri on October 7 to focus only on Trump, court documents say, and that he had seven days to formulate an assassination plan.

Shakeri, who is an Afghan national residing in Tehran, told investigators that if he was unable to do come up with a plan in that timeframe, the IRGC would wait until after the presidential election to move forward as they believed Trump would lose.

Two other individuals charged on Friday, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt, who are American citizens, were arrested in New York and are accused of helping the Iranian government surveil a separate US citizen of Iranian origin. They made their initial appearance in court on Thursday, the Justice Department said, and are being detained pending trial.

Shakeri also said he was tasked with surveilling and assassinating two individuals described only as Jewish businesspeople living in New York City.

IRGC officials, prosecutors say, also asked Shakeri to help plan a mass shooting targeting Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka, prompting US and Sri Lankann authorities to warn travelers about threats of an attack. 

The complaint by the FBI agent states the following facts in relation to the plot to attack Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka: 

“According to SHAKERI, IRGC Official-I also asked SHAKERI to target Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka and to plan a mass shooting event in approximately October 2024.” 

“On or about October 23, 2024, the governments of the United States and Israel publicly warned travelers about threats of an attack targeting tourist locations in the Arugam By area, and, on or about the following day, Sri Lankan authorities reported having arrested three individuals in connection with the threat. One of the individuals arrested was identified as CC-2.” 

“On or about October 28, 2024-after the public travel warnings issued by the governments of the United States and Israel and after CC-2’s arrest by Sri Lankan authorities-SHAKERI advised the FBI that he had previously tasked CC-2 with surveilling the Israeli consulate in Sri Lanka.” 

“SHAKERI stated that he and CC-2 had served time in prison together. SHAKERI informed the FBI that he had provided this surveillance to IRGC Official-1.

According to SHAKERI, after being provided surveillance on the Israeli consulate, IRGC Official-1 asked SHAKERI to identify another target, and SHAKERI then instructed CC-2 to surveil a tourist location in Arugam Bay frequented by Israeli tourists.” 

“IRGC Official-I instructed SHAKERI to orchestrate a mass shooting at the Arugam Bay location. And, according to SHAKERI, they planned that CC-2 would supply AK47s and other weapons for the attack.” 

Iran has “categorically dismissed” the Justice Department’s allegation.

The Foreign Ministry, posting on social media platform X on Saturday, described the claims as “completely baseless and rejected,” adding that “similar accusations have been made in the past,” which Iran has “firmly denied and proven false.” 

The claims amount to a “malicious conspiracy” aimed at “further complicating the issues between the US and Iran,” the ministry said.

Background of Farhad Shakeri

Shakeri, an asset of the IRGC based in Tehran, immigrated to the US as a child. He was deported in 2008 after serving 14 years for a robbery conviction. In recent months, Shakeri has been involved in leveraging a network of criminal associates he met in US prisons to assist the IRGC. He has reportedly been supplying the IRGC with operatives for conducting surveillance and assassinations targeting individuals of interest, according to the US Department of Justice.

Though he was deported in 2008, his parole monitoring continued until 2015. In 2019, he was detained in Sri Lanka in connection with the seizure of a large quantity of heroin, highlighting an ongoing series of alleged criminal activities linked to his network.

Shakeri faces multiple charges, including conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation, which could result in up to 20 years in prison. He is also charged with providing material support to the same organisation, as well as conspiring to violate sanctions against the Iranian government under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, each of which carries a potential 20-year prison sentence.

--With Agencies Inputs