ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office said on Wednesday that it is in touch with the United States authorities and awaits further details about a Pakistani national who is accused of plotting assassination of high profile Americans, including former president Donald Trump.

Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch’s statement comes following the US Justice Department charged a Pakistani national namely, Asif Merchant, allegedly for having ties with Iran and “seeking to carry out political assassinations”.

“We have seen the media reports. We are in touch with the US authorities and await further details. We have also noted the statements by US officials that this is an ongoing investigation. Before giving our formal reaction, we also need to be sure of the antecedents of the individual in question,” Baloch said in response to media queries about the development.

Media reports claim that Merchant was arrested on July 12 while preparing to leave the United States, shortly after he met with purported hit men who he believed would carry the murders but were actually undercover law enforcement officers.

He is accused of travelling to New York and working with an alleged hit man to carry out assassinations in late August or early September, including the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, other current and former US government officials, allegedly in retaliation for the US killing of Iran's Revolutionary Guards’ top commander Qasem Soleimani in 2020.

Reports claimed that Merchant is a resident of Karachi, having his family both in Karachi and Iran.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024