Pakistani man with ties to Iran charged in plot to carry out political assassinations on US soil

WASHINGTON — A Pakistani man with alleged ties to Iran has been charged with plotting to commit political assassinations on U.S. soil, the Justice Department said Tuesday.

Brooklyn prosecutors announced criminal charges against Asif Merchant, accusing him of traveling to New York to hire a hitman to carry out the murders, only to have the plot disrupted before it could be carried out.