Afghan mastermind of Iran’s plot to assassinate Trump is criminal migrant who was deported from US in 2008
An Afghan man accused of masterminding a foiled assassination plot against Donald Trump was deported from the US after serving time in prison.
Farhad Shakeri, 51, served 14 years in prison for theft before being released in 2008.
The accused terrorist was subsequently deported and became an asset to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Justice Department said.
Shakeri has been charged along with New Yorkers Carlisle Rivera, aka Pop, 49, of Brooklyn, and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, of Staten Island, in an elaborate murder plot on behalf of Tehran.
They are accused of attempting to assassinate Trump, as are Iranian-American activist Masih Alinejad and two Jewish businessmen living in the US. Two other unnamed co-conspirators were identified but have not been charged.
An Afghan man accused of masterminding a foiled assassination plot against Donald Trump was deported from the US after serving time in prison. Pictured: weapons held by the suspect in connection with the foiled plot
Rivera and Loadholt have been arrested, but Shakeri remains at large in Iran, according to the DOJ.
Shakeri came to the US as a child. The indictment against him states that he met his co-conspirators while in prison in the US.
He was convicted in 1994 and served time in several state prisons, including Woodbourne Correctional Center, where he overlapped with the unnamed suspect, the indictment said.
In 2005, he was transferred to a facility in Beacon, where he met Rivera, according to officials.
Shakeri immigrated to the U.S. as a child, although the FBI has not said what year he arrived or where he lived.
After his imprisonment, he remained in the country until his deportation in 2008.
New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision records show his parole supervision ended in 2015.
Just four years later, he was arrested again in Sri Lanka in connection with the seizure of 92 kilos of heroin, the indictment states.
The plot against Trump was orchestrated by Tehran in revenge for the assassination of Qasem Soleimani.
Farhad Shakeri, 51, is accused of masterminding the plot against the president-elect on behalf of Tehran
Photos of Trump’s assassination attempt have been released by the government
Photos released by DOJ on the foiled assassination attempt
Photos released by the DOJ show the cache of weapons the suspected assassins had at their disposal
Iran repeatedly assured the assassins that they would spend as much money as possible to ensure the killings were carried out.
The IRGC ordered Shakeri to surveil and kill Trump to avenge the devastating drone strike that killed Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force, in January 2020.
Trump has been a target since Soleimani’s assassination, and during the campaign he requested military aircraft and greater Secret Service details to protect him from Iranian threats.
In September, he said he would threaten to blow Iran “to smithereens” if he were back in the White House and there were threats from Tehran.
Shakeri was ordered to kill Trump less than a month before millions of Americans went to the polls on November 5.
However, he told the FBI in recorded telephone conversations that he had no intention of carrying out the operation within the time frame given to him.
Shakeri was then told to delay the plot because Iran believed Trump would lose the election and it would then be easier to reach him without his Presidential Secret Service details.
It is unclear when Shakeri returned to Iran and how he managed to flee the United States.
Activist and journalist Masih Alinejad was secondary target in Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump, court documents reveal
They traveled to Fairfield University in Connecticut, where Masih Alinejad was scheduled to appear earlier this year, and also stalked her home in Brooklyn.
The plot against Trump was orchestrated in revenge for the death of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force General Qasem Soleimani
The disturbing documents released by the Justice Department revealed the arsenal of weapons the killers had at their disposal and the text messages they sent each other to hatch their deadly plan.
The trio also shared frightening voice messages, urging patience and explaining in detail how they would follow their goals.
Rivera and Loadholt were allegedly assigned by Shakeri to monitor an unnamed American citizen who is an “outspoken critic” of the Iranian regime.
βIn exchange for Shakeri’s promise of $100,000, Rivera and Loadholt repeatedly attempted to locate Victim-1 for murder,β the complaint states.
The IRGC was in constant contact with the suspects and said that “money was no object” in pursuing their goals.
They traveled to Fairfield University in Connecticut, where Alinejad was scheduled to appear earlier this year, and also stalked her home in Brooklyn.
Prosecutors also explained how Iran uses foreign agents to actively target Americans on U.S. soil for kidnapping and murder.
Their aim is to try to silence dissidents critical of the regime and to hit back at Soleimani’s death.