Man charged by US in plot to kill Donald Trump

A government instructed one of its agents to stalk and assassinate Donald Trump this past September, a bombshell indictment has revealed.

A man has been charged by US officials of being part of an alleged Iranian plot to kill Donald Trump before the presidential election.

Court documents allege Iranian officials told one of the men charged, Farhad Shakeri, 51, to track and then assassinate Mr Trump.

It’s alleged Mr Shakeri was tasked by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps to carry out a number of assassinations against US and Israeli citizens but in October he was given seven days to work out a plan to kill Mr Trump specifically.

The indictment charges Iranian Farhad Shakeri and two New Yorkers with murder for hire and conspiracy, reports say. Picture: Department of Justice

But court documents claimed he told Iran he could not do it in that time frame.

If Mr Shakeri did not meet his deadline, the IRGC contact allegedly said the hit on Trump would be postponed until after the election.

Mr Shakeri has spoken to prosecutors about the plot.

However he has not been arrested as he is not thought to be in the US and could be back in Iran.

He was originally given seven days to carry out the plot. Picture: Department of Justice

Donald Trump speaks during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Wednesday. Picture: AFP

Two American citizens – Carlisle Rivera and Jonathon Loadholt – were also arrested in New York accused of working under the orders of the Iranian government to spy on a US citizen from Iran.

The two Americans made court appearances on Thursday.

“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.

“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.”

Mr Trump has already faced two assassination attempts this year. Picture: AFP

Mr Shakeri also told the FBI that he had been instructed by Iran to plot a mass shooting targeting Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka – which prompted the US and Israeli governments to issue a travel warning for the island nation on October 23.

– With the New York Post

Originally published as Man charged by US in plot to kill Donald Trump