A Pakistani man accused of plotting to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump told a U.S. court on Wednesday that he did not willingly cooperate with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the alleged plot, media reports said.
The United States Department of Justice has accused Asif Merchant of attempting to recruit individuals in the United States to target Trump and other American politicians in retaliation for Washington’s killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.
According to a report by The New York Times, Merchant told the court during proceedings that he did not take part in the alleged conspiracy voluntarily.
“I did not want to do this of my own free will,” the newspaper quoted Merchant as telling the court during his trial on terrorism and murder-for-hire charges, adding that he became involved out of concern for the safety of his family in Tehran.
Prosecutors rejected Merchant’s claim, citing a “lack of evidentiary support for a true duress or coercion,” according to a letter sent to the judge in the case.
The newspaper also reported that Merchant said he had never been instructed to kill a specific individual, although his alleged Iranian handler mentioned three potential targets during conversations in Tehran.
The trial began last week amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Iran has repeatedly denied allegations that it sought to target Trump or other U.S. officials.