
Federal authorities busted up an assassination plot on U.S. soil, prosecutors revealed Tuesday as they announced charges against the Pakistan citizen they say was at the center of the operation, which they said had ties to Iran. Asif Merchant tried to recruit hitmen but ended up hiring two undercover agents, paying them a $5,000 advance to assassinate “U.S. government officials,” the FBI said. He also hoped to foment protests and steal documents from targets’ homes, the FBI said in court documents. Authorities said Mr. Merchant arrived in the U.S. in...