In a stunning revelation, U.S. authorities have charged an Iranian man for his role in an alleged assassination plot targeting former President Donald Trump, according to the Justice Department. Farhad Shakeri, 51, a member of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), was accused of receiving instructions to devise a plan to kill Trump on October 7, 2024.
Though Shakeri reportedly communicated with law enforcement that he had no intention of completing the assignment within the given timeline, the plot nonetheless points to a chilling connection to Iranian officials. Authorities believe Shakeri, who immigrated to the U.S. as a child but was deported in 2008 following a robbery conviction, remains at large in Tehran.
The plot extends beyond Trump, with two New York residents, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt, facing charges for assisting Shakeri in a separate conspiracy. They are accused of planning the murder of an Iranian-American individual in New York, a vocal critic of Iran’s regime. The target’s profile bears a striking resemblance to Masih Alinejad, a journalist and activist who has long spoken out against Iran’s restrictive policies on women’s rights.
Alinejad had already been the target of a 2021 kidnapping attempt, with additional threats surfacing in subsequent years. Rivera and Loadholt are currently in detention pending trial, with their legal teams yet to comment.
The case continues to unfold, underscoring rising tensions surrounding Iran’s operations abroad.
