The US government has charged three people in an alleged Iran-linked plot to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Friday in New York.
The accused have been identified by the U.S. Department of Justice as Farhad Shakeri, 51, of Iran; Carlisle Rivera, 49, of Brooklyn, New York; and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, of Staten Island, New York. Rivera was apprehended in Brooklyn, New York, and Loadholt was arrested in Staten Island, New York, on Thursday. Shakeri, who is believed to be residing in Iran, remains at large. Rivera and Loadholt appeared for their initial hearings in the Southern District of New York on Thursday and were ordered to be detained until trial.
"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 B. Garland said. "We will not stand for the Iranian regime's attempts to endanger the American people and America's national security."
According to the complaint, Shakeri was tasked by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards with surveilling and killing Trump to avenge the death of Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran's Quds Force, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020.
FBI Director Christopher Wray said that the charges highlight Iran's ongoing and aggressive attempts to target U.S. citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump, other government officials, and individuals who criticize the regime in Tehran.
"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — a designated foreign terrorist organization — has been conspiring with criminals and hitmen to target and gun down Americans on U.S. soil and that simply won't be tolerated. Thanks to the hard work of the FBI, their deadly schemes were disrupted. We're committed to using the full resources of the FBI to protect our citizens from Iran or any other adversary who targets Americans," he added.
According to the Justice Department, Shakeri emigrated to the United States but was deported in 2008 after serving prison time for robbery. While in prison, he befriended Rivera and Loadholt, whom he later hired to target an Iranian-American activist living in Brooklyn.
Shakeri, Rivera, and Loadholt have been charged with murder-for-hire. If convicted, they could face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. They have also been charged with conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire and money laundering conspiracy.
