Asif Merchant, President Trump's alleged death plot mastermind, took the stand in his defense against charges of murder-for-hire and terrorism offenses. He claims he was coerced into the plot by Iranian intelligence handler, Mehrdad Yousef, to protect his family in Iran. He is accused of hiring two hit men, actually undercover FBI agents in disguise, to stage an ambush at a political rally in 2024 at the behest of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. If he hadn't gone along with the scheme, he would have put his family at risk. The trial has also heard testimony from a confidential informant who set up Merchant with the undercover agents and the agents themselves.