CNN: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard hired an “Afghan citizen” to assassinate Trump

Bayan News – CNN, citing the U.S. Department of Justice, reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard allegedly hired a 51-year-old Afghan citizen to assassinate Donald Trump, former President of the United States. However, Iran’s Foreign Ministry has denied this report.

The American news outlet obtained documents from the U.S. Department of Justice showing that Iranian officials in September had approached Farhad Shakari, urging him to focus on monitoring and ultimately assassinating Donald Trump.

According to the report, published on Friday (November 8), prosecutors claim that Shakari had initially been tasked by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard with assassinating American and Israeli citizens. However, on October 7, Revolutionary Guard officials instructed Shakari to focus solely on Trump.

Court documents reveal that Shakari was given seven days to develop his assassination plan.

CNN further reported that Shakari is still in Iran and moves freely within the country.

The report adds that investigators suggested that if Shakari failed to present a plan, the Guard believed that Trump would likely lose the upcoming presidential election.

Additionally, CNN reported that two American citizens, identified as “Carlyle Rivera” and “Jonathan Lewad Holt,” were arrested for allegedly colluding with Shakari.

According to the report, these two American citizens are accused of aiding the Iranian government in planning the assassination of another individual of Iranian descent.

The U.S. Department of Justice confirmed that they made their first court appearance on Thursday and are awaiting trial.

Who is Farhad Shakari?

CNN provided details about this Afghan citizen, reporting that according to FBI investigators, Shakari had migrated to the United States as a child but was deported in 2008 after serving a decade in prison.

According to the report, Shakari was imprisoned in the U.S. on robbery charges.

The FBI alleges that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard ultimately utilized Shakari to recruit criminals within the United States to carry out specific operations, including targeting an Iranian-American journalist and activist residing in New York.

Shakari reportedly told the FBI that he had become acquainted with a senior Revolutionary Guard official through his work in Iran’s oil and fuel trade. However, the details of how Shakari’s interview with the FBI occurred remain unclear.

CNN’s report notes that when the Guard official learned Shakari had previously lived in New York, he asked for assistance in monitoring individuals within the U.S.

Shakari told the FBI that he had met with this Guard official multiple times in various restaurants.

Meanwhile, some American media outlets, including CBS, reported that Shakari is an Iranian citizen, though CNN has identified him as Afghan.

Furthermore, some Iranian media outlets, quoting Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei, reported that Tehran’s alleged involvement in attempts against former or current U.S. officials is baseless and unfounded.

Baghaei emphasized that similar allegations have consistently been denied by Iran and proven false in the past, describing this recurring claim as a repugnant conspiracy by anti-Iranian and Israeli groups to complicate U.S.-Iran relations.

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