A Pakistani man charged with plotting with Iran to assassinate former President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials was allowed into the U.S. even though he was on a terror watchlist.
Asif Raza Merchant, 46, was arrested last month and charged in a murder-for-hire plot to assassinate a politician or U.S. government official on U.S. soil, the Department of Justice said in a press release on Tuesday.
Just The News reported that Merchant was allowed into the U.S. by the FBI in April with special permission known as “significant public benefit parole,” despite being flagged on a terrorism watchlist and having recently spent time in Iran. The outlet obtained government memos showing that the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force interviewed Merchant, fingerprinted him, and inspected his electronic devices when he arrived in Houston but allowed him to leave.
“Subject was polite and…
