A chilling hidden camera video reveals a foreign operative calmly plotting the assassination of President Trump using a vape pen as a prop to symbolize the target, exposing yet another dangerous foreign threat that nearly penetrated America’s security during the 2024 campaign.
Foreign Terror Plot Exposed in Federal Courtroom
Brooklyn federal court witnessed the release of shocking undercover footage on February 27, 2026, showing Asif Merchant, a 47-year-old Pakistani national with Iranian connections, methodically planning to assassinate then-candidate Donald Trump. The video captured Merchant placing an orange vape pen on a napkin, asking “This is the target. How will it die?” and declaring “To kill this one from here is very easy.” Prosecutors linked Merchant to Iranian regime handlers seeking revenge for Trump’s January 2020 drone strike that eliminated IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, demonstrating Iran’s ongoing threats against American leaders who defend our national security interests.
FBI Sting Operation Prevents Campaign Rally Massacre
Merchant entered the United States in April 2024 on a temporary visa, posing as a clothing importer while secretly recruiting operatives through New York’s Pakistani community. He approached Nadeem Ali, a former U.S. Army linguist, who immediately recognized the danger and alerted the FBI. Federal agents orchestrated an elaborate sting operation, with undercover agents posing as hired assassins during a recorded June 4, 2024 meeting at a Queens motel. Merchant outlined his scheme to murder Trump at a campaign rally using a staged protest as cover for escape, offering $5,000 upfront to each recruit. This represents exactly the type of foreign interference our intelligence community must aggressively combat to protect American democratic processes and our elected leaders.
https://twitter.com/Uebey/status/2027054805105950973
Iranian Regime’s Pattern of Targeting American Patriots
This assassination plot forms part of Iran’s ongoing retaliation campaign against Trump and his administration officials following the righteous elimination of Soleimani, a terrorist responsible for countless American deaths. The Department of Justice unsealed additional charges in November 2024 against IRGC operatives for a separate pre-election plot targeting Trump. Congressional hearings documented how the Secret Service spent over $12 million protecting Trump aides after receiving intelligence about Iranian threats during the 2024 campaign. These state-sponsored terror attempts underscore the serious dangers posed by Iran’s theocratic regime and vindicate Trump’s decisive action against Soleimani, which the previous administration’s critics foolishly condemned as reckless escalation.
NEW🚨: A federal trial began this week in New York against Pakistani national Asif Merchant, charged with murder-for-hire and attempting terrorism transcending national boundaries in an Iranian intelligence-linked plot to assassinate then-candidate Donald Trump.
Prosecutors… pic.twitter.com/KoqvVQlGBy
— Melissa Hallman (@dotconnectinga) February 27, 2026
Justice System Confronts Foreign Assassination Network
Merchant was arrested in July 2024 at an airport while attempting to flee the country, caught red-handed by the FBI’s counterterrorism operation. He currently faces murder-for-hire and terrorism charges carrying potential life imprisonment, having pleaded not guilty despite overwhelming video evidence. His defense attorney portrays him as a legitimate businessman with authorized travel between Pakistan and Iran, claiming cultural norms explain his family arrangements. Prosecutors counter that Merchant’s connections to Iranian handlers who assisted his Iran-based wife’s immigration demonstrate clear regime backing for the assassination conspiracy. The trial continues in Brooklyn federal court, with the dramatic surveillance footage providing Americans a rare glimpse into how foreign adversaries actively plot against our constitutional republic and its defenders.
Hidden camera video outlines alleged Iran-linked plot to kill Trump https://t.co/O59Mac1GyL
— Emin Bred (@emin_bred) February 27, 2026
The case highlights critical security vulnerabilities that the Trump administration now addresses with renewed vigilance against state-sponsored terrorism. Iran’s willingness to dispatch operatives onto American soil to murder political figures represents an intolerable threat to our sovereignty and the safety of citizens exercising their First Amendment rights at political rallies. This attempted assassination, thwarted only through alert citizenship and professional law enforcement, demonstrates why strong national security policies and robust intelligence capabilities remain essential to protecting American lives and liberty from foreign adversaries who despise our freedoms and values.
Sources:
The Joe Pags Show: Covert Video Shows Suspect With Iran Ties Planning Trump Attack
Iran International: Hidden Camera Video Outlines Alleged Iran-Linked Plot to Kill Trump
118th Congress House Event: Secret Service Security Failures and Iranian Threats