Global manhunt launched for Iranian agent in New York-based Trump assassination plot

NEW YORK – Federal authorities have charged an Iranian agent and two associates in an assassination plot aimed at silencing a prominent Iranian-American critic of the Iranian regime and targeting newly elected President Donald J. Trump. Farhad Shakeri, described by prosecutors as an asset of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), is alleged to have employed criminal associates in New York to conduct surveillance and attempt to kill a US citizen who was critical of Tehran.

The indictment, unsealed by U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in the Southern District of New York, names Shakeri, 51, as the scheme’s orchestrator, along with Carlisle Rivera, 49, of Brooklyn, and Jonathan Loadholt, 36, of Staten Island. Rivera was arrested Tuesday and both Rivera and Loadholt were arraigned in federal court in New York, where they were ordered held without bail. Shakeri is still at large and is probably living in Iran.

Prosecutors allege that Shakeri, who previously served a prison sentence in the United States before being deported, ordered Rivera and Loadholt to locate and kill an outspoken Iranian-American activist, identified in court documents as Victim-1. This individual, who lives in the United States, has reportedly been the target of multiple assassination plots attributed to Iranian intelligence operations. Rivera and Loadholt allegedly surveilled the intended victim, including photographing her at a planned event earlier this year, in exchange for a promised $100,000 payment from Shakeri.

According to Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, the Justice Department’s investigation uncovered additional conspiracies linked to Shakeri, including an IRGC directive to devise an assassination plot against President-elect Trump. “We will not support the Iranian regime’s efforts to endanger the American people and American national security,” Garland said, citing Iran’s “grave threat” to American interests.

FBI Director Christopher A. Wray also highlighted the IRGC’s attacks on dissidents and US officials as part of Iran’s response to the January 2020 death of Qassem Soleimani, a top IRGC commander who was killed in a US drone strike. “The charges announced today expose Iran’s continued brazen efforts to attack American citizens, including President-elect Donald J. Trump,” Wray said. He added that the FBI remains committed to disrupting Iranian operations that endanger Americans on U.S. soil.

The IRGC, which oversees Iran’s external paramilitary and intelligence operations, has been designated by the US as a foreign terrorist organization since 2019. According to the complaint, Shakeri’s network of associates includes individuals he met in prison and recruited to conduct surveillance and activities. attacks on behalf of the IRGC.

Shakeri is charged with, among other things, murder-for-hire, conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. If convicted, he and his co-defendants could face decades in prison. The case underscores escalating tensions between U.S. authorities and Iran, as well as the risks posed by foreign-backed attempts to attack U.S. citizens and dissidents on U.S. soil.