Assassination attempt: Iran denies involvement after Trump’s victory

Iran’s foreign ministry on Saturday distanced Tehran from plot to assassinate the United States, US, President-elect, Donald Trump.

The spokesman of the ministry, Esmaeil Baghaei described the plot to assassinate Trump as “totally unfounded.”

A few months ago, 20-year-old Thomas Mathew Crook had attempted to assassinate Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Crooks shot severally at Trump during his presidential campaign but missed.

Still on the campaign ground, a Secret Service agent shot and killed Crooks.

Following the incident, Trump had accused Iran of attempting to assassinate him.

However, Baghaei denied country’s involvement after US prosecutors announced charges over the alleged plot.

In a statement, Baghaei “rejected allegations that Iran is implicated in an assassination attempt targeting former or current American officials.”

US prosecutors announced charges on Friday in an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate former president Donald Trump and a prominent dissident Iranian-American journalist.

The foiled assassination plot on Trump was allegedly directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to avenge the death of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in 2020 in a US strike ordered by then-president Trump, the Justice Department said.

Farhad Shakeri, 51, an Afghan national who is believed to be in Iran, was “tasked” by the IRGC with providing a plan to kill Trump, the department said in a statement.

Shakeri and two other men, Carlisle Rivera, 49, and Jonathon Loadholt, 36, both of New York, were charged separately with plotting to kill an Iranian-American dissident in New York.

“The charges announced today expose Iran’s continued brazen attempts to target US citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump, other government leaders and dissidents who criticize the regime in Tehran,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said.

Trump, who defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday’s US presidential election, faced two other separate assassination attempts this year, including a shooting at a campaign rally when a bullet grazed his ear.

Iran’s foreign ministry on Saturday called the allegations that Tehran was behind a plot against Trump “totally unfounded.”