❓WHAT HAPPENED: A federal jury convicted Asif Merchant, an operative of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), of murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Asif Merchant, undercover U.S. law enforcement officers, Attorney General Pamela Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg.

📍WHEN & WHERE: Merchant arrived in the U.S. in April 2024, met with undercover agents in New York in June, and was arrested in July 2024.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This man landed on American soil hoping to kill President Trump — instead, he was met with the might of American law enforcement.” – Attorney General Pamela Bondi

🎯IMPACT: Merchant faces life in prison, and the case highlights the vigilance of U.S. law enforcement in thwarting foreign terrorism plots.

A federal jury has convicted Asif Merchant, also known as “Asif Raza Merchant,” of murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries. Merchant, a trained operative of the Iranian government’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), admitted at trial that he was sent to the United States to arrange political assassinations and steal documents. Law enforcement foiled the plot before any attack could be carried out.

Merchant arrived in the United States in April 2024. By June, he had met with purported hitmen—who were actually undercover U.S. law enforcement officers in New York—and began planning assassinations and thefts. He was arrested in July 2024 before leaving the country. Merchant testified that his IRGC handler instructed him to finalize the plans and depart the U.S. before the attacks were carried out.

“This man landed on American soil hoping to kill President Trump — instead, he was met with the might of American law enforcement,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. FBI Director Kash Patel added, “Merchant tried to hire someone to kill a politician or a U.S. government official, but the FBI and our partners stopped that deadly plot.” Assistant Attorney General John A. Eisenberg emphasized that Merchant’s actions “struck at the heart of our democracy and our commitment to the rule of law.”

Merchant’s plot involved recruiting individuals to commit acts of theft, stage protests, and assassinate U.S. officials, including President Trump. He met with an acquaintance in New York who reported his plans to law enforcement, becoming a confidential source. Merchant later met with undercover officers posing as hitmen, paying them $5,000 as an advance for their services. He planned to leave the U.S. on July 12, 2024, but was arrested before his departure.

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❓WHAT HAPPENED: New Department of Justice documents reveal that a prison guard googled Jeffrey Epstein just minutes before he was found dead and made a $5,000 cash deposit 10 days prior to his death.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Tova Noel, one of two guards accused of falsifying records, and Michael Thomas, another correctional officer, were implicated in the events surrounding Epstein’s death.

📍WHEN & WHERE: The events occurred on August 10, 2019, at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.

💬KEY QUOTE: “I don’t remember doing that,” Noel said when questioned about her internet searches on Epstein.

🎯IMPACT: The revelations have fueled ongoing questions and conspiracies surrounding Epstein’s death and the actions of those responsible for his supervision.

Newly released Department of Justice documents have revealed that Tova Noel, a prison guard at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, searched for Jeffrey Epstein online just minutes before he was discovered dead in his cell. The search occurred at 5:42 a.m. and again at 5:52 a.m., less than 40 minutes before Noel’s colleague, Michael Thomas, found Epstein hanging in his cell at 6:30 a.m.

Noel, who was accused of falsifying records stating she had checked on Epstein throughout the night, denied making the search during a sworn statement in 2021. “I don’t remember doing that,” she said, adding that the FBI’s records were “not accurate.” The FBI highlighted the search in its 66-page forensic examination of the prison computers used by Noel and Thomas.

Additional scrutiny has been placed on a $5,000 cash deposit made to Noel’s bank account 10 days before Epstein’s death. Chase Bank flagged the deposit, along with 11 others totaling $11,880, in a suspicious activity report filed with the FBI. Noel, who began working in the Special Housing Unit where Epstein was held in July 2019, was not questioned about the deposits during her interview with the DOJ.

The FBI also identified Noel as the likely individual seen in a blurry surveillance video near Epstein’s cell at 10:40 p.m. on the night of his death. The video reportedly shows a person carrying linen or inmate clothing, which Epstein allegedly used to hang himself. Noel denied providing any linens to Epstein, stating, “I never gave out linen — ever,” and claimed she last saw him alive “somewhere around after 10.”

The findings have reignited questions and conspiracy theories surrounding the circumstances of Epstein’s death. Despite the troubling revelations, criminal charges against Noel and Thomas were dropped in December 2021. Noel has since faced additional legal trouble, including a lawsuit in Westchester County Supreme Court for alleged assault at her current job.

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❓WHAT HAPPENED: New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, liked Instagram posts celebrating Hamas’ October 7 attack on civilians and supporting Palestinian jihad.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Zohran Mamdani, Rama Duwaji, and left-wing groups like The Slow Factory and People’s Forum.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Mayor Mamdani has been clear and consistent: Hamas is a terrorist organization, October 7 was a horrific war crime, and he has condemned that violence unequivocally.” – Mamdani’s spokesman.

🎯IMPACT: Duwaji’s social media activity sparked controversy and scrutiny of Mamdani’s political stances.

Rama Duwaji, the wife of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, recently faced backlash for liking Instagram posts that celebrated the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. These posts included images from the assault and messages supporting Palestinian jihad.

The posts, shared by groups like The Slow Factory and People’s Forum, featured slogans such as “resisting apartheid since 1948.” Another image showed a bulldozer breaching the barrier between Gaza and Israel.

Duwaji also liked posts promoting protests against Israel’s military actions in Gaza. One such post called for support of Palestinian resistance, stating, “FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA, PALESTINE WILL BE FREE!”

In response to the controversy, Mamdani described his wife as a private person uninvolved in his political career. He emphasized his responsibility to address questions about his own political views.

Despite the scrutiny, Mamdani has consistently condemned Hamas, labeling the October 7th attack as a “horrific war crime” and reaffirming his stance against the violence.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) is a follower of the Twelver sect of Shia Islam. This sect counts Iran’s now-deceased Supreme Leader, Grand Ayatollah Khamenei, and the country’s surviving ayatollahs as spiritual leaders, owed religious taxes like khums and zakat by ordinary Twelvers.

Iqbal Akhtar, Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Florida International University, has noted: “The Mamdani family… is part of the Twelver community… whose Twelfth Imam is believed to be hidden from the world and only emerges in times of crisis. Twelvers believe he will help usher in an age of peace during end times.”

Though this Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, is said to have disappeared into hiding in 874 AD, the Ayatollahs of Iran have taken up the mantle of leadership for the Twelver community.

Robert Spencer, head of the JihadWatch group, has described the sect as the official religion of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Mamdani has described the strikes against Iran as “a catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression.”

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