Justice Department Uncovers Alleged IRGC Plot Targeting Trump in Retaliation for The 2020 Of General Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian military leader.
In a high-stakes case, the U.S. Justice Department has revealed charges against an Iranian national in connection with an alleged plan to assassinate Donald Trump before the 2024 presidential election. The accused, Farhad Shakeri, is said to have been directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in retaliation for the 2020 killing of General Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian military leader. The assassination attempt was reportedly intended to avenge Soleimani’s death, which occurred during a U.S. airstrike in Iraq under Trump’s administration.
According to the Justice Department, Shakeri informed law enforcement he was ordered on October 7, 2024, to devise a plan to kill Trump but allegedly expressed reluctance, indicating he had no intention of completing the plot within the IRGC’s expected timeframe.
Shakeri, a 51-year-old IRGC affiliate, is reportedly in Iran and remains at large. Prosecutors noted that Shakeri previously lived in the U.S. before being deported in 2008 following a robbery conviction. Two New York residents, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt, who met Shakeri in prison, also face charges for their alleged role in a separate plot to target a U.S.-based Iranian activist critical of Iran’s government. Although unnamed in the charges, the target’s profile aligns with journalist Masih Alinejad, a vocal critic of Iran’s policies on women’s rights and head coverings, who has faced prior threats.
Both Rivera and Loadholt have been detained pending trial. Their attorneys have yet to comment on the charges.
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