Senator Chuck Grassley is demanding answers from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after a Pakistani national, Asif Raza Merchant, who was on a federal watchlist, was granted immigration parole and later arrested for plotting to assassinate high-ranking U.S. officials, including former President Trump. The plot, allegedly backed by Iran in retaliation for the killing of General Qasem Soleimani, involved Merchant working with undercover agents posing as hitmen. Grassley is questioning why Merchant was allowed entry into the U.S. despite being flagged as a threat and is calling for full transparency about the DHS’s decision and the scope of this dangerous scheme.
Here’s what happened: On July 12, 2024, Asif Raza Merchant, who is 46, was trying to leave the U.S. when he was arrested. He’s now in custody in New York. Merchant’s plan was to kill U.S. officials, and he was caught when he conspired with undercover agents pretending to be hitmen. This plot was allegedly part of a broader Iranian scheme to get back at the U.S. for killing Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in 2020.
Senator Grassley has been pushing for answers from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He’s curious why Merchant, who was flagged as a potential threat, was still granted immigration parole on April 13, 2024. Grassley wants to know if Merchant was given this parole before or after being listed as a person of interest in the federal database and on what grounds he was granted it. He also wants to see Merchant’s entire Alien Registration File and find out how many other people with similar terrorist watchlist statuses have been allowed into the U.S. on parole.
The Justice Department, led by Attorney General Merrick Garland, has promised to use all its resources to tackle threats like this and ensure that those plotting against Americans are held accountable. FBI Director Christopher Wray also emphasized that such foreign-directed assassination plots are serious threats to national security and will be addressed with full force by the FBI.
There are also some unanswered questions about whether Merchant really planned to target Trump. Federal agencies have not confirmed this. According to court documents, Merchant’s plan included stealing documents, staging a protest, and killing a political figure. He even gave an undercover agent $5,000 in advance to arrange the hit.
Merchant was arrested the day before an assassination attempt on Trump during a rally in Pennsylvania. This raised concerns about the Secret Service’s readiness, given the Iranian-linked threat against Trump and other officials. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner has expressed frustration over the situation, noting that the Secret Service should have been aware of these potential threats based on intelligence reports.
So, in short, this case has many layers, and Grassley’s questions highlight a bigger issue of how we handle and monitor people who are flagged as threats but are still allowed to enter the country.
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