Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.
The Department of Justice has announced charges against three men who were plotting to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump and other high-profile targets.
Let’s bring you up to speed: Back in January of 2020, then-President Donald Trump ordered a drone strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the influential leader of Iran’s Quds Force within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This strike, which eliminated one of Iran’s most powerful military figures, was seen as a severe blow to Iranian influence in the region and a direct challenge to Iran. In response, Iranian leaders pledged to seek retribution, aiming their focus on Trump as the primary target for orchestrating the attack. Since leaving office, the US government has foiled multiple plots that involved Iranian tied individauls seeking to hire assasins to kill President-elect Trump.
What’s going on now: Today, the Department of Justice unsealed a criminal complaint revealing a plot allegedly organized by the IRGC to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump and other high-profile targets. The charges, filed against three individuals—Farhad Shakeri, Carlisle Rivera, and Jonathan Loadholt—detail how Shakeri, believed to be an IRGC asset residing in Iran, allegedly coordinated with Rivera and Loadholt, both now in custody in New York, to conduct surveillance and prepare for potential assassinations. According to the complaint, Shakeri was directed by IRGC officials to shift focus from other operations to prioritize targeting Trump as part of Iran’s effort to avenge Soleimani’s death.
The unsealed documents also reveal that this plot extended beyond Trump, with targets including prominent dissidents critical of the Iranian regime, such as an Iranian-American journalist believed to be Masih Alinejad. IRGC officials reportedly promised Shakeri substantial financial rewards, offering $500,000 for the murder of two Jewish-American citizens in New York City and further incentives for targeting Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka.
Shakeri allegedly informed FBI agents that the IRGC provided him with significant resources to carry out these operations, emphasizing the lengths to which Iran is willing to go in pursuing retribution.
US officials react: In a statement, US Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York said, “Actors directed by the Government of Iran continue to target our citizens, including President-elect Trump, on U.S. soil and abroad. This has to stop. Today’s charges are another message to those who continue in their efforts – we will remain unrelenting in our pursuit of bad actors, no matter where they reside, and will stop at nothing to bring to justice those who harm our safety and security. I want to thank the career prosecutors of this office and our law enforcement partners for their ongoing work in this and related investigations. They are truly the best of the best and work tirelessly to keep our country safe.”
FBI Director Christopher Wray also reacted, saying, “The charges announced today expose Iran’s continued brazen attempts to target U.S. citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump, other government leaders and dissidents 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.”
Of the three individuals charged in the plot, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt have been arrested in New York, while Farhad Shakeri remains at large and is believed to be in Iran. If convicted, each faces significant prison time, with maximum penalties for charges of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire reaching up to 10 years each, while additional charges like money laundering conspiracy carry penalties of up to 20 years. Shakeri, as the alleged coordinator with direct links to the IRGC, also faces charges for providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization and conspiring to violate US sanctions, which could add up to an additional 20 years in prison for each charge.
