New Zealand intel report and leaked FBI record indicate increasing use of mafias by hostile states
A New Zealand intelligence report and a leaked FBI interview regarding Iranian intelligence's plans to assassinate Donald Trump—and potentially other key leaders including Joe Biden—underscore the growing threats from hostile states employing transnational mafias to target diasporas and politicians in the West.
The New Zealand report, released this week, also echoes with warnings reminiscent of an explosive new insider threat indictment accusing a senior New York state staffer of influencing several governors to benefit China.
The leaked FBI record indicates that days after former President Donald Trump was grazed by a bullet at a campaign rally, federal investigators interviewed Asif Merchant, a Pakistani man accused in an Iran-backed plot to assassinate Trump or possibly two of his campaign rivals: President Joe Biden and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.
According to a proffer agreement released by Senator Chuck Grassley—which has since been withdrawn from the senator’s website—Merchant discussed operational details with his Iranian handler, Mehardad Yousef.
Their discussions included hiring mafias and debates over assassination tactics, such as whether to use firearms for close-range or long-range attacks. But they also met in Iran and discussed killing senior U.S. leaders besides Trump, the document says, sometime around January 2024.
“Merchant asked Yousef what he should say to the mafia if they asked who would be the object of the killing,” says the FBI document. “Yousef stated that it could be Donald Trump, then paused, and stated that it could be Joe Biden, Nikki Haley, or other politicians, military figures, or bureaucrats.”
The FBI proffer document also reveals that Merchant traveled to New York City and visited a Mexican club to “find and assess people who could conduct reconnaissance or facilitate communications on behalf” of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
A proffer agreement refers to a formal meeting between a defendant or witness and federal investigators in which the individual provides information about their knowledge of criminal activity, often in exchange for potential leniency.
The redacted FBI record adds that Merchant agreed to work with the IRGC because he was interested in intelligence work and believed Iranian agents would transfer $1 million into the United States to fund the assassination plot, from which Merchant would receive $50,000.
Federal agencies are currently investigating the July 13 near-assassination of Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, by Thomas Matthew Crooks. Investigators say Crooks is not believed to have ties to Iran.
In January, The Bureau reported on another explosive case allegedly involving the IRGC and a Hells Angel from Vancouver. In that case, according to U.S. government sanctions, Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Iranian narco-traffickers hired British Columbia gangsters in 2021 to assassinate Iranian dissidents in the United States for a $350,000 fee.
The leaked FBI proffer documents and the previous case involving Vancouver Hells Angels resonate with global trends identified by New Zealand’s Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS) in their 2024 Threat Environment report.
The NZSIS report warns of the increasing crossover between foreign interference and violent extremism, where hostile states co-opt criminal organizations to carry out their objectives.
“The conflict in Gaza is being used by terrorist organisations to drive online radicalisation and recruitment,” the NZSIS report says. “Another concerning global trend is the crossover between foreign interference and violent extremism. Some states are using criminal gangs or groups usually associated with violent extremism to carry out societal interference against expat communities.”
The cases in North America and the New Zealand intelligence warnings highlight a troubling pattern where states like Iran are not only willing to use proxy actors for political assassinations but also engage in global influence campaigns that violate the rights of their diaspora.
In Merchant’s case, the Iranian regime’s use of operatives and proxies reveals the sophisticated level of planning and intelligence gathering aimed at destabilizing political figures and institutions abroad.
The same dynamics of using covert actors are flagged by New Zealand intelligence, as foreign states seek to intimidate diaspora communities, engage in espionage, and conduct violent extremist activities to exert influence beyond their borders.
The NZSIS report also highlights “insider threat” cases that echo factors from the FBI’s investigation into infiltration by Beijing’s United Front Work Department and a senior aide for two New York governors, revealed this week in a new indictment.
“There have been a number of occasions where the NZSIS has worked with government agencies to prevent, mitigate, and respond to actual or potential insider threats,” the New Zealand threat assessment says. “The NZSIS has seen attempts to use complex and deceptive front organisations to connect with groups in New Zealand and replace authentic and diverse community views with those approved by the PRC. These front organisations will often appear to be community-based, claiming to represent an issue or a group of people but their true affiliation, direction and funding sources are hidden.”
In the FBI’s case, Linda Sun, a Chinese American political aide accused of acting as an agent for Beijing, quickly rose in New York state politics, ultimately becoming deputy chief of staff to Governor Kathy Hochul.
She previously worked as public relations director for a Taiwanese American congressman and served as deputy chief diversity officer under Andrew Cuomo, the former governor.
According to a newly released indictment, Sun allegedly used her influence to suppress criticism of China's treatment of Uyghurs and hinder interactions between Taiwanese officials and New York state leaders. In return, Beijing allegedly rewarded her with millions in bribes and business deals.
Sun and her husband, Chris Hu, were arrested on Tuesday, charged with violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, visa fraud, alien smuggling, and money laundering conspiracy.
In a hard-hitting New York Post Op/Ed cited by a Congressional committee Mike Pompeo, former U.S. Secretary of State and CIA director, claimed that both New York governors had turned a blind eye to his warnings.
“For years I have warned that the Chinese Communist Party has been working to infiltrate America’s society and government at every level,” Pompeo wrote this week.
“While these details [of Sun’s case] may come as a shock to some, this is exactly how the CCP operates. Beijing seeks to influence every level of our society, from the federal government to universities, to state senates, and even PTA meetings. We cannot treat this threat as something far away, across a vast ocean. The CCP is inside the gates.”
sam@thebureau.news
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Great work Sam. Governments and law enforcement are starting to step up. And we have you and your tenacity to thank for that. Keep going!