The assassination attempt was planned as punishment for the 2020 US airstrike that killed Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force.
After the strike, the leaders of the terrorist organization vowed to “take revenge on the Americans” for the killing of Soleimani, and publicly attacked then-President Trump and other high-ranking officials in his administration.
Prosecutors say Shahram Borsafi, a 45-year-old Iranian citizen and member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, tried to pay $300,000 to someone in the United States to kill Bolton.
The US Department of Justice said Borsafi has not been arrested and remains at large. Federal authorities issued two “wanted” ads on Tuesday, one in English and one in Farsi.
According to court documents, Borsafi contacted the US resident – who was secretly working as an informant for the FBI, also known as a “Confidential Human Source” or CHS – and asked him to take pictures of Bolton “for a book that Borsafi was writing”.
He later asked if the informant could hire someone to “eliminate someone”, who was later revealed to be Bolto, and promised to provide protection for the informant and the killer, prosecutors say.
Borsafi also allegedly suggested that the killing should be done “by car”, gave the killer an address to Bolton’s office, and indicated that Bolton was accustomed to walking alone.
In November 2021, the informant traveled to Washington, D.C., and sent Borsafi photos of Bolton’s office, and descriptions of the building. Borsafi allegedly said the killing should take place in the building’s garage, as it was a “crowded” area.
Borsafi repeatedly argued that the killing had to happen soon, telling the informant that he shouldn’t worry about what’s next, and that “it’s like crossing the street: it was better not to spend so much time looking in one direction, but just to do it.” .
Prosecutors said Borsafi had a source advising him of Bolton’s movements, and encouraged the informant to go to those locations. (Prosecutors have not provided any details as to who was telling Borsafi about Bolton’s whereabouts.)
By January and February 2022, Borsafi and others in Iran had grown suspicious of the American he was talking to, and whether the assassination would take place, according to court documents. Borsafi suggested to the informant other, easier people in the United States he might be able to target before Bolton was killed.
