NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge has scheduled an October trial for a man charged with plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States.
Federal Judge John Keenan set the Oct. 22 trial date for Manssor Arbabsiar (mahn-SUHR' ahr-BAHB'-see-ahr) at a hearing in Manhattan on Tuesday.
Arbabsiar was arrested in September in what authorities say was a $1.5 million plot to kill the ambassador at a restaurant by setting off explosives. Charges against him carry a potential life sentence.
President Barack Obama's administration has accused agents of the Iranian government of playing a role in the plot. The press attache at Iran's mission to the United Nations has called the accusation "baseless."
Arbabsiar's lawyer declined to comment after the hearing.
Arbabsiar is a U.S. citizen with an Iranian passport.
Shares