Washington — A member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was charged with allegedly plotting the murder of former national security adviser John Bolton, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
An indictment against Shahram Poursafi, of Tehran, alleges that beginning in October 2021, he attempted to arrange Bolton's murder, likely in retaliation for the killing of Qassem Soleimani.
Working on behalf of the Quds Force, Poursafi attempted to pay $300,000 to people in the U.S. for the murder, the Justice Department said. The department said there is no evidence that Poursafi has ever been to the U.S. He remains at large overseas and is wanted by the FBI.
Bolton, who served as national security adviser to former President Donald Trump, thanked the Justice Department for the charges against Poursafi and the FBI for "its diligence in discovering and tracking the Iranian regime's criminal threat to American citizens; and the Secret Service for once again providing protection against Tehran's efforts."
While much cannot be said publicly right now, one point is indisputable: Iran's rulers are liars, terrorists, and enemies of the United States," he said in a statement to CBS News. "Their radical, anti-American objectives are unchanged; their commitments are worthless; and their global threat is growing."
Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen, who leads the Justice Department's National Security Division, said the department has in the past uncovered Iranian plots to "exact revenge against individuals on U.S. soil" and pledged the Justice Department will "work tirelessly" to stop these efforts.
"The Justice Department has the solemn duty to defend our citizens from hostile governments who seek to hurt or kill them," he said in a statement.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned Iran against targeting U.S. citizens, including those who currently work in government or no longer do.
We have said this before and we will say it again: the Biden Administration will not waiver in protecting and defending all Americans against threats of violence and terrorism," he said in a statement. "Should Iran attack any of our citizens, to include those who continue to serve the United States or those who formerly served, Iran will face severe consequences. We will continue to bring to bear the full resources of the U.S. government to protect Americans."
In 2021, federal prosecutors said Poursafi met an unidentified person on a social media site and asked the individual to take photos of Bolton that October, claiming they were for a book he was writing. The person told Poursafi he could introduce him to an "associate," identified as a confidential human source, to take the photos and videos requested for between $5,000 and $10,000, according to court documents