DOJ report accuses Iran of plotting to assassinate Trump: 'Malicious conspiracy'
Esmaeil Baghaei, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman, rejected the accusations that Iran was involved in the assassination plot.
The Foreign Ministry of Iran rejected a report from the Department of Justice that it had foiled an assassination attempt against President-elect Trump by Iranians on Friday.
An official from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps instructed Farhad Shakeri, 51, of Iran, to target former President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, through surveillance and assassination, according to a criminal complaint filed in a New York City federal court.
On Oct. 7, 2024, Shakeri informed law enforcement that he was assigned to devise a plan to assassinate President-elect Donald J. Trump.
According to the foreign ministry, spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei categorically dismissed allegations that Iran was involved in attempts to assassinate former and current US officials on Saturday.
Iran has been accused of similar scenarios in the past that have been "firmly denied and proven false," according to Baghaei, who described the report as "completely baseless and rejected."
He stated that repeating such claims is a harmful conspiracy orchestrated by Zionist and anti-Iranian groups, intended to make the issues between the US and Iran more complex.
Iran is fully committed to utilizing all legal means to restore the rights of its citizens both domestically and internationally, as Baghaei concluded.
According to the DOJ, Shakeri, who is still at large and believed to be residing in Iran, immigrated to the United States as a child and was deported in or around 2008 after serving 14 years in prison for a robbery conviction.
Shakeri is accused of assigning two New York men, 49-year-old Carlisle Rivera and 36-year-old Jonathon Loadholt, to surveil and murder an American of Iranian origin who is a vocal critic of the Iranian regime for a reward of $100,000.
Masih Alinejad, who identified herself as a journalist, resides in America and has also been targeted by the Iranian government, according to the DOJ report.
WATCH: MASIH ALINEJAD: I DON'T DESERVE TO BE FOLLOWED BY KILLERS
The Iranian regime's efforts to jeopardize the safety of Americans and undermine U.S. security will not be tolerated, as stated by Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Three individuals, including Shakeri, Rivera, and Loadholt, are facing charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and money laundering conspiracy, which carry maximum penalties of 10 to 20 years in prison.
Shakeri has been charged with conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, and conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and sanctions against the Government of Iran, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
Planet Chronicle' Greg Norman and David Spunt contributed to this report.
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