COLOMBO (News 1st) - The U.S. Department of Justice has revealed that an Iranian national charged by the FBI for plotting the assassination of President-elect Donald Trump was also tasked by the Iranian regime to target Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka.
In a statement, the Office of Public Affairs of the U.S. Department of Justice said quoting Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, "The Justice Department has charged an asset of the Iranian regime who was tasked by the regime to direct a network of criminal associates to further Iran's assassination plots against its targets, including President-elect Donald Trump."
On November 8, Farhad Shakeri and two others were charged in a criminal complaint for their alleged involvement in the plot to assassinate a U.S. citizen of Iranian descent in New York.
While the other two suspects have been arrested, Shakeri remains at large and is believed to be in Iran.
The criminal complaint added that, according to Shakeri, during a meeting with an IRGC official on or about October 7, 2024, he was instructed to provide a plan to kill Trump within seven days. If Shakeri failed to meet the deadline, the IRGC official indicated the plan would be delayed until after the U.S. Presidential elections, with the expectation that Trump would lose, making the assassination easier to carry out. Shakeri told the FBI that he did not intend to propose a plan within the set timeframe.
In recorded interviews with law enforcement agents, Shakeri said that the IRGC also tasked him with carrying out additional assassinations targeting U.S. and Israeli citizens in the United States.
He said he was tasked with surveilling two Jewish American citizens residing in New York City and offered $500,000 by an IRGC official for the murder of either victim.
The U.S. Department of Justice further highlighted that, "He was also tasked with targeting Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka."
According to documents filed in a federal court, Shakeri was asked by IRGC to target Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka and to plan a mass shooting event in October 2024.
The plot against Israeli nationals in Sri Lanka led to security alerts from multiple countries, including the U.S., which issued a travel warning for Arugam Bay on October 23, 2024. Intelligence reports indicated a potential threat to popular tourist areas frequented by Israelis, prompting increased security measures and travel restrictions. The Israeli National Security Council also advised Israeli citizens to avoid certain coastal regions of Sri Lanka.
Background of Farhad Shakeri:
Shakeri, an asset of the IRGC based in Tehran, immigrated to the US as a child. He was deported in 2008 after serving 14 years for a robbery conviction. In recent months, Shakeri has been involved in leveraging a network of criminal associates he met in US prisons to assist the IRGC. He has reportedly been supplying the IRGC with operatives for conducting surveillance and assassinations targeting individuals of interest, according to the US Department of Justice.
Though he was deported in 2008, his parole monitoring continued until 2015. In 2019, he was detained in Sri Lanka in connection with the seizure of a large quantity of heroin, highlighting an ongoing series of alleged criminal activities linked to his network.
Shakeri faces multiple charges, including conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organisation, which could result in up to 20 years in prison.
He is also charged with providing material support to the same organisation, as well as conspiring to violate sanctions against the Iranian government under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, each of which carries a potential 20-year prison sentence.
Iran's Response:
The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry has categorically dismissed allegations that Iran was involved in attempts to assassinate former and current US officials and described the claims as completely baseless and rejected.
The spokesperson highlighted that similar accusations have been made in the past, which the Islamic Republic of Iran has firmly denied and proven false.
He emphasized that repeating such claims at this juncture is a malicious conspiracy orchestrated by Zionist and anti-Iranian circles, aimed at further complicating the issues between the US and Iran.
He also underscored that the Islamic Republic of Iran, as has previously stated, remains committed to utilizing all legitimate and legal means at both domestic and international levels to restore the rights of the Iranian nation.