WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- An Iranian-American man Wednesday pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to conspiring to kill the Saudi ambassador to the United States, officials said.
Manssor Arbabsiar, 58, a naturalized U.S. citizen who formerly sold used cars in Corpus Christie, Texas, had been charged with plotting to hire assassins from a Mexican drug ring for $1.5 million to kill Saudi envoy Adel al-Jubeir.
Arbabsiar, who also used the name Mansour, was arrested at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport Sept. 29, 2011. He held both U.S. and Iranian passports.
U.S. Justice Department officials say he pleaded guilty Wednesday to three counts against him -- one count of conspiracy to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries and two charges of murder-for-hire -- before U.S. District Judge John F. Kennan.
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He had arranged to wire a $100,000 down payment for the hit in two installments to a man who claimed to be a representative the drug cartel, a department release said. Iranian leaders last year denied any involvement in the assassination plot.
"I take responsibility for my actions," he told the court. Arbabsiar faces a maximum prison sentence of 25 years when he is sentenced Jan. 23.
"A little more than a year after his arrest, Manssor Arbabsiar has admitted to his role in a deadly plot approved by members of the Iranian military to assassinate a sitting foreign ambassador on U.S. soil," U.S Attorney General Eric Holder said. "Today's plea and the disruption of this plot should serve as a reminder of the exceptional efforts of our law enforcement and intelligence agencies in protecting America against terrorist attacks and in holding accountable those who plan such actions."
