A federal judge in New York has fixed 9 March 2026 as the start date for the trial of three men charged with an alleged Iranian scheme to murder former President Donald Trump on US soil and to target Iranian activist Masih Alinejad.
Defendants and alleged roles
Two of the accused, Carlisle Rivera and Jonathan Loadholt, appeared in the courtroom in Manhattan with restraints. The third, Farhad Shakeri, an Afghan‑born national who entered the United States as a child, was not present; prosecutors say he is currently hiding in Tehran.
Shakeri is described in a November 2024 criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of New York as an “asset of the Iranian regime”. The complaint alleges that an IRGC official instructed him in mid‑to‑late September 2024 to abandon other IRGC tasks and concentrate on surveilling, and ultimately assassinating, former President Donald J. Trump. The document records Shakeri’s own words: "According to Shakeri, in approximately mid-to-late September 2024, IRGC Official-I asked Shakeri to put aside his other efforts on behalf of the IRGC and focus on surveilling, and, ultimately, assassinating, former President of the United States, Donald J. Trump."
According to prosecutors, Shakeri also oversaw a separate plot against Alinejad and recruited Rivera and Loadholt to assist with the Trump assassination plan.
Procedural timetable
The March 2026 date follows a pre‑trial hearing that was delayed repeatedly because of a “voluminous” discovery record. The court has set further pre‑trial hearings for 18 August and 18 September. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob H. Gutwillig told the judge the trial is expected to last two weeks and said, "The government has made significant discovery production." He indicated that the prosecution will likely move to admit classified material under the Classified Information Procedures Act.
The government’s discovery package includes data from Google, Apple and WhatsApp accounts, cell‑phone records and recorded telephone calls obtained during the earlier arraignment.
Official reaction
A Department of Justice spokeswoman, speaking to the Washington Free Beacon, warned that "The targeting of former and current American officials, including President Trump, by brazen foreign actors will never be tolerated." She added that the Justice Department will employ every tool at its disposal to disrupt such activity and bring the full force of US law to bear on conspirators.
Prosecutors have also linked the alleged plot to broader Iranian targeting of former US officials, naming former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former National Security Adviser John Bolton and former State Department official Brian Hook as additional intended victims.
Related cases
In July 2024, another individual with alleged ties to Tehran, Asif Merchant, was arrested and charged with a separate scheme to kill US officials after paying $5,000 to an undercover officer he believed to be a hit man. The investigation into Merchant was launched after US authorities learned of Iranian interest in assassinating Trump.
The upcoming trial, expected to run for two weeks, will be closely watched for any classified evidence presented under the special procedures authorised by the Classified Information Procedures Act.