By The Smartencyclopedia Staff & Agencies

MIAMI — The FBI’s Miami field office has launched a manhunt for an alleged Iranian spy, identified as Majid Dastjani Farahani, suspected of orchestrating plots to assassinate former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other officials linked to the Trump administration. U.S. authorities revealed that Farahani, 41, is believed to frequently travel to Venezuela, actively recruiting individuals for various operations in the United States.

A notice issued by the FBI Miami field office detailed Farahani’s involvement in recruiting individuals for lethal targeting of current and former U.S. government officials as an act of revenge for the U.S.-ordered death of Iranian Revolutionary Guard Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani. The alleged spy is also accused of recruiting individuals for surveillance activities targeting religious sites, businesses, and other facilities in the United States. Farahani is believed to be acting on behalf of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security.

Farahani, who speaks Farsi, French, Spanish, and English, frequently shuttles between Iran and Venezuela, making his whereabouts unpredictable. U.S. officials are urging the public to provide any information that could lead to his detention.

The FBI announcement raises concerns about potential threats to national security, especially at a time when Iran is seeking retaliation for the 2020 killing of Soleimani. The Iranian general was assassinated in a drone strike in Iraq in January 2020 on the orders of then-President Donald Trump, during Mike Pompeo’s tenure as Secretary of State.

Sources suggest that the alleged plot extends beyond Pompeo, with reports indicating that Iran may also be targeting Brian Hook, Trump’s envoy to Tehran. Farahani and another intelligence officer, Mohammad Mahdi Khanpour Ardestani, were sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control in December. The sanctions were imposed for their involvement in violent repression against peaceful dissidents and plotting actions against foreign officials.

While the FBI’s announcement originated from its Miami office, it remains unclear whether Farahani is believed to be present in Florida. The search intensifies concerns about foreign espionage activities on U.S. soil and the potential threat posed to former Trump-era officials.