US Offers $20 Million for Info on Iranian Accused of Plot to Kill John Bolton

The U.S. State Department announced on Thursday a reward of up to $20 million for information leading to the arrest of an Iranian man charged with plotting to assassinate John Bolton, a former national security adviser to President Donald Trump.
Poursafi allegedly tried to hire “criminal elements” within the United States to kill Bolton in Washington or Maryland between October 2021 to April 2022 in exchange for $300,000, the department stated.
He allegedly provided material support and resources to facilitate the attempted murder and told the potential assassin that there would be a “second assassination job” for him after Bolton’s murder was completed.
The potential assassin later became a confidential source for U.S. investigators, the department said.
Investigators said Poursafi contacted the informant on an encrypted messaging application in November 2021 and offered the person $250,000 to hire someone to “eliminate” Bolton, an amount that would later be negotiated up to $300,000.
Poursafi later directed the informant to open a cryptocurrency account to facilitate the payment. In subsequent communications, he allegedly told the informant it did not matter how the killing was carried out, but that his group would require a video as proof that the deed was done.
When the informant asked about the potential repercussions of the killing being attributed to Iran, Poursafi allegedly told the informant not to worry and that his group would take care of it.
Poursafi, also known as Mehdi Rezayi, was designated a “specially designated global terrorist” by the U.S. government for his alleged involvement in the plot, according to the State Department.
His campaign added that law enforcement officials across all agencies are working to ensure Trump’s safety and to keep the election “free from interference.”
An official from Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied on Thursday allegations that Tehran was involved in plots to assassinate the Republican presidential candidate.
Trump was the target of an assassination attempt during his Pennsylvania rally in July when he was shot in the ear. Authorities fatally shot the gunman, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, of Pennsylvania.