Iranian asset charged in plot to assassinate Trump, DOJ says

The Justice Department says it has thwarted an Iranian plot to kill President-elect Donald Trump in the leadup to the election. 

A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan alleges that an unnamed official in Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard instructed a contact to put together a plan to surveil and ultimately kill Trump. 

READ THE DOJ CRIMINAL COMPLAINT – APP USERS, CLICK HERE:

"There are few actors in the world that pose as grave a threat to the national security of the United States as does Iran," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. "The Justice Department has charged an asset of the Iranian regime who was tasked by the regime to direct a network of criminal associates to further Iran’s assassination plots against its targets, including President-elect Donald Trump. 

"We have also charged and arrested two individuals who we allege were recruited as part of that network to silence and kill, on U.S. soil, an American journalist who has been a prominent critic of the regime," Garland added. "We will not stand for the Iranian regime’s attempts to endanger the American people and America’s national security." 

The Justice Department says Shakeri, who remains at large and is believed to be living in Iran, "immigrated to the United States as a child and was deported in or about 2008 after serving 14 years in prison for a robbery conviction." 

"Shakeri has informed law enforcement that he was tasked on Oct. 7, 2024, with providing a plan to kill President-elect Donald J. Trump. During the interview, Shakeri claimed he did not intend to propose a plan to kill Trump within the timeframe set by the IRGC," it added. "He also stated he was tasked with surveilling two Jewish American citizens residing in New York City and offered $500,000 by an IRGC official for the murder of either victim. He was also tasked with targeting Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka." 

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.