An Iranian operative has been charged in a plot to murder former Trump administration national security John Bolton in presumed retaliation for a U.S. airstrike that killed a popular and powerful general in the country, the Justice Department said Wednesday.
Shahram Poursafi, identified by U.S. officials as a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, is currently wanted by the FBI on charges related to the murder-for-hire plot.
Prosecutors said the act was likely in retaliation for the January 2020 strike that killed Qassem Soleimani, who was the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force.
In a statement, Bolton thanked the FBI and Justice Department for their work in developing the case.