The FBI allowed a suspected terrorist who plotted to kill former President Donald Trump into the U.S. on a special permission visa despite being flagged on the terrorism watch list and having recently traveled to Iran, according to memos obtained by Just the News.

Asif Raza Merchant of Pakistan was arrested on July 12, more than two months after his special permission expired, and charged with the assassination plot after a confidential human source came forward.

At the time of his arrest, Merchant had already lined up assassins and was about to leave the country, the memos said.

When he entered the country in April, Merchant was interviewed by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, fingerprinted, and his electronic devices were searched.

"Polite and cooperative"

“Subject was polite and cooperative throughout encounter,” the FBI interview memo reads. “... Subject's notable travel outside of country of citizenship includes a recent trip to Iran.”

He was allowed to leave with the 30-day special permission as a “significant public benefit parole,” which expired on May 11.

His destination was listed as a family member's home in Texas.

A law enforcement source told Just the News that the FBI may have been allowing Merchant into the country to surveil him and eventually use him to catch other terrorists operating inside the country.

If he was being watched, then officials decided deliberately to allow him to remain in the country after the permission expired.

Dangerous plot

Merchant's assassination plot is believed to be unrelated to the attempt on Trump's life on July 13 at a Butler rally.

“This dangerous murder-for-hire plot exposed in today’s charges allegedly was orchestrated by a Pakistani national with close ties to Iran and is straight out of the Iranian playbook,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. “A foreign-directed plot to kill a public official, or any U.S. citizen, is a threat to our national security and will be met with the full might and resources of the FBI.”

A report from the House Judiciary Committee found the Biden DHS released 99 individuals on the terrorist watch list into the country from 2021 to 2023 and that 34 others in custody have not yet been removed.

While it is not a bad strategy to let suspected terrorists into the country in order to keep tabs on them and find out what they are up to, there is always risk that they will be able to elude surveillance and carry out an attack.

Far better to keep them out of the country in the first place.