CAIR Executive Director Asks if Iran’s Plan to Assassinate Trump Is Actually an ‘Israeli Plot’ to ‘Ignite Another War’

Nihad Awad , the executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), reacted to a report on an Iranian plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump by peddling a conspiracy theory suggesting that Israel was actually responsible for it.

On Tuesday, it was reported that American authorities had caught wind of an Iranian plan to take down Trump.

“Secret Service learned of the increased threat from this threat stream,” a national security official told CNN . “NSC [National Security Council] directly contacted USSS at a senior level to be absolutely sure they continued to track the latest reporting. USSS shared this information with the detail lead, and the Trump campaign was made aware of an evolving threat. In response to the increased threat, Secret Service surged resources and assets for the protection of former President Trump. All of this was in advance of Saturday.”

On X, Awad reacted to the news by wondering aloud if Israel was somehow complicit in such a scheme while presenting no evidence for such a theory.

“Are you sure this is not an Israeli plot to ignite another war between the US and other countries in the Middle East at its behest?” he wrote.

Last year, Awad declared that he was “happy” on October 7, the day that Hamas carried out the most deadly massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

“The people of Gaza only decided to break the siege, the walls of the concentration camp on October 7th. And yes, I was happy to see people breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land and walk free into their lands that they were not allowed to walk in,” said Awad. “Gaza became the liberation source, the inspiration for people. Gaza transformed many minds around the world, including people who are not Muslim. What kind of faith these people have. They are thankful, they’re not afraid, and Israel did not scare them. Because they knew that their heaven is in Gaza and they, if they would like to die, they will go to another heaven.”

Andrew Bates , a White House spokesman, condemned Awad’s celebration of the October 7 attack “in the strongest terms,” calling them “shocking, Antisemitic statements.”

When the White House released its National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism last May, it touted CAIR as a partner organization. It later cut ties with it over Awad’s commentary.