US charges Iranian man in plot to kill Donald Trump, Justice Dept says

The United States has charged an Iranian man in connection with an alleged plot ordered by Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to assassinate president-elect Donald Trump, the Justice Department said on Friday.

In a statement, the department said that Shakeri had informed law enforcement “that he was tasked on October 7, 2024, with providing a plan to kill” Trump, the department said.

The department described Shakeri as an IRGC asset residing in Tehran. It said he immigrated to the US as a child and was deported in or about 2008 following a robbery conviction.

The department said it had charged two other individuals in connection with their alleged involvement in a plot to kill a US citizen of Iranian origin in New York.

In September, Trump claimed that he received threats to his life from Iran.

“Big threats on my life by Iran. Moves were already made by Iran that didn’t work out, but they will try again,” the Republican presidential nominee said on Truth Social. He also said the entire US military is “watching and waiting”.

Trump thanked the US Congress for unanimously approving additional funding for the Secret Service, noting that he is now surrounded by more men, guns, and weapons than ever before.

Trump’s comments came after gunshots were heard near his location in Florida on September 15, though officials later confirmed he was safe.