Iranian Asset Charged in Plot to Assassinate Trump, DOJ Says

U.S. authorities have charged an Iranian national with plotting to assassinate former President Donald Trump, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

Shahram Poursafi, 46, was arrested in October 2022 in New York City and charged with providing material support to a terrorist plot and engaging in money laundering.

According to the indictment unsealed Wednesday, Poursafi was allegedly recruited by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in 2021 to assassinate Trump because of his "ceaseless efforts to expose Iran's evil acts and malign influence," the Justice Department said.

Poursafi allegedly agreed to pay $100,000 for the assassination, and he transferred $100,000 in cryptocurrency to a bank account in New York City in September 2022, the indictment says.

The money was allegedly intended to be used to pay an individual in the United States to carry out the assassination.

Poursafi was allegedly in direct communication with members of the IRGC, and he provided them with updates on his efforts to carry out the plot, the indictment says.

The indictment also alleges that Poursafi has engaged in money laundering activities in the United States since 2019, including transferring large sums of money through accounts in the United States and overseas.

The charges against Poursafi come amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, following the Trump administration's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018.

The Justice Department said the charges against Poursafi demonstrate the Iranian government's "continued efforts to target and threaten U.S. citizens."

Poursafi is scheduled to appear in federal court in Manhattan on Thursday.