U.S. charges Pakistani with alleged Iran ties in murder-for-hire plot against Trump, U.S. officials

A Pakistani national with ties to the Iranian government was arrested and charged with plotting a murder-for-hire scheme targeting U.S. government officials and politicians, according to charging documents unsealed Tuesday.

The man, 46-year-old Asif Merchant, is accused of planning to assassinate current and former government officials across the political spectrum, according to multiple sources briefed on the investigation, including former President Donald Trump, who is also the Republican presidential nominee.

Intelligence about Merchant's alleged plot was prominently among the information that prompted the U.S. Secret Service to further escalate security assets for the former president in recent weeks, the sources said.