一名47岁的巴基斯坦男子阿斯夫·默罕默德（Asif Merchant）周五因被定罪策划暗杀总统唐纳德·特朗普及其他政客，在联邦调查局（FBI）探员面前称伊朗“对宾夕法尼亚州巴特勒市针对特朗普的暗杀企图负责”。
默罕默德在审判中告诉联邦调查局探员杰奎琳·史密斯（Jacqueline Smith），此次事件“与他被派往这里执行的任务性质相同”。默罕默德向陪审团表示，伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队（IRGC）派他执行一项“任务”，目的是暗杀包括特朗普在内的美国政客，其中包括指示他参加共和党集会。
默罕默德于2024年7月12日被捕，恰在巴特勒市发生枪击事件的前一天。当时托马斯·克鲁克斯（Thomas Crooks）向集会人群开枪，造成一人死亡，并擦伤特朗普的耳朵。
联邦调查局多次表示，没有证据表明克鲁克斯有同谋者，也没有证据显示有任何外国势力参与此次事件。
默罕默德在不到两小时的审议后，周五所有指控均被陪审团判定有罪，罪名包括雇佣谋杀和企图实施恐怖主义。他作证称，特朗普并非他唯一的目标，他告诉陪审团，当时的总统乔·拜登和前总统候选人尼基·黑利也在他的名单上。
他声称，他之所以参与这次被联邦调查局挫败的阴谋，只是因为伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队威胁要以他的家人为人质。
“我别无选择，”默罕默德说，“我的家人受到了威胁。”
默罕默德现在面临最高终身监禁的刑罚，具体刑期将在后续听证会上确定。
司法部长帕姆·邦迪（Pam Bondi）在一份声明中表示，默罕默德“踏上美国国土本想刺杀特朗普总统——结果却遭遇了美国执法部门的强大力量”。
“司法部将始终保持高度警惕，保护美国民众，起诉恐怖分子，并在恐怖行为发生前予以制止，”邦迪说。
默罕默德被捕是因为他在餐巾纸上勾勒暗杀政客的计划时被摄像机记录下来，而当时他对面的人是联邦调查局的线人。联邦检察官在审判中展示了默罕默德与线人交谈的视频。检察官称，默罕默德还试图雇佣两名杀手，并支付5000美元，但这两人实际上是伪装成刺客的联邦特工。
逮捕后与默罕默德会面的联邦调查局探员史密斯表示，默罕默德从未透露过他担心家人安全。史密斯说，默罕默德称他想从事情报工作并获得报酬。
联邦调查局探员还表示，伊朗情报官员曾指示默罕默德参加共和党政治集会以侦查安保情况。但默罕默德担心身份暴露，因此改为在线观看集会。
默罕默德的辩护团队告诉陪审团，他们的当事人有两名妻子，是一个顾家的人，非常重视自己的信仰，并且故意表现得粗心大意，因为他希望被抓。
在最后的辩论中，辩护律师称默罕默德在行动中是被迫的，认为如果他不合作，家人就会受到伤害。此外，律师还列举了几次默罕默德作为情报人员的行为几乎是无能的例子。
福克斯新闻的丹妮尔·卡瓦利埃雷（Danielle Cavaliere）、布伦丹·麦克唐纳（Brendan McDonald）和亚历克西斯·麦克亚当斯（Alexis McAdams）对本报道有贡献。
A Pakistani man convicted Friday of plotting to assassinate President Donald Trump and other politicians told an FBI agent he thought Iran “was responsible” for the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Asif Merchant, 47, told the FBI agent, Jacqueline Smith, that the incident “was the same thing he was sent here to do,” Smith testified during Merchant’s trial. Merchant told jurors the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sent him on a “mission” to kill U.S. politicians, including by telling him to attend a Republican rally.
Merchant was arrested July 12, 2024, one day prior to the shooting in Butler, where Thomas Crooks fired several shots into a rally crowd, killing one and grazing Trump’s ear.
The FBI has said repeatedly it found no evidence that Crooks had co-conspirators or that any foreign actors were involved in the incident.
Merchant, who was found guilty on all charges Friday after fewer than two hours of deliberation, was convicted by a jury of murder-for-hire and attempting to commit terrorism. He testified that Trump was not his only target, telling jurors then-President Joe Biden and former presidential candidate Nikki Haley were also on his list.
He claimed he only took part in the plot, which was foiled by the FBI before coming to fruition, because Iran’s IRGC warned it would target his family.
“I had no other options,” Merchant said. “My family was threatened.”
Merchant now faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. His sentence will be determined at a later hearing.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that Merchant “landed on American soil hoping to kill President Trump — instead, he was met with the might of American law enforcement.”
“The Department of Justice will remain ever-vigilant to protect Americans, prosecute terrorists, and halt acts of terrorism before they happen,” Bondi said.
Merchant was arrested after he was recorded on camera outlining a plot on a napkin to kill a politician with a person who turned out to be an FBI informant. Federal prosecutors showed video during the trial of Merchant speaking to the informant. The prosecutors said Merchant also tried to hire two hit men and pay them $5,000, but the men turned out to be federal agents posing as assassins.
Smith, the FBI agent who met with Merchant after his arrest, said Merchant never conveyed that he feared for his family. Merchant said he wanted to do intelligence work and be paid for it, Smith said.
The FBI agent also said Merchant was told by an Iranian handler to attend a Republican political rally to scope out security. But Merchant was worried about being identified, so he watched the rally online instead.
Merchant’s defense team told jurors their client, who has two wives, was a family man and cared deeply about his faith and that he intentionally acted carelessly because he wanted to be caught.
In their closing arguments, defense lawyers said Merchant had his hand forced in the operation, thinking his family would be harmed if he did not cooperate. Additionally, the lawyers cited several instances in which Merchant’s actions as an intelligence operator were little more than incompetent.
Fox News’ Danielle Cavaliere, Brendan McDonald and Alexis McAdams contributed to this report.
发表回复