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Republican candidate Donald Trump is seen with a blood-smeared face, surrounded by Secret Service agents, as he is led off the stage at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. (File image/AFP)
According to senior Pakistani sources, during the ongoing US law enforcement investigation against Asif Merchant, he was found to have had contact with ISI operatives at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, DC.
Asif Merchant, who was arrested in the US for allegedly plotting the assassination of former US President Donald Trump, was in contact with officials at the Pakistani embassy in Washington, sources told CNN-News18 on Tuesday. Investigators are also looking into the possible role of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), they added.
Trump, the Republican Party’s presidential candidate, was shot on July 13 while speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
The shooter, identified as Thomas Crooks, was shot dead by Secret Service agents.
The former US president was not seriously injured, but suffered an injury to his right ear.
According to senior Pakistani sources, the ongoing investigation by US authorities against Asif Merchant has revealed that he had been in contact with ISI officers at the Pakistani embassy in Washington DC.
He is said to have been in contact with several governments in the past, including Pakistan and Iran, and worked as a “contractor” for cross-border repression missions.
According to sources, the ISI is targeting Pakistani Americans who are active against the intelligence service in the United States.
