Reward On Trump? Iran-Linked Crowdfunding Drive Raises Concerns

New Delhi: The situation remains tense amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Meanwhile, a campaign called the "International Trump Assassination Reward Campaign" is rapidly spreading in Iran. Many Iranian citizens are receiving messages like "Kill Trump" via SMS. Furthermore, posters offering a $100 million reward for Trump's assassination are also going viral.

It is being reported that this money is being raised through crowdfunding. Most shockingly, the money for the reward for the would-be attacker is being raised through crowdfunding. Those involved in this campaign claim that some people from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) have also contributed.

What is this campaign?

According to Aaj Tak Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), such a campaign, “plotting to kill” US President Donald Trump, is being run on Iranian social media platforms. The investigation found channels promoting and mobilizing support for this campaign on Iran's domestic apps, Rubika and Bale. Similar campaigns are also being run via SMS and at least two websites that appear inactive to users outside Iran but are mentioned in local media.

Are they campaigning through website and social media?

The 'Kill Trump' campaign is hosted on a website that presents itself as a response to the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The campaign's stated purpose is to raise a reward for anyone who assassinates US President Donald Trump . The campaign claims to have garnered 280,000 supporters and raised $23 million so far, although this figure has not been independently verified.

The campaign is also being promoted on the Rubika app, where a channel called "Kill Trump" is running. This channel's profile photo depicts Trump as a target and it reportedly has over 230,000 subscribers. Similarly, a channel with around 2,000 subscribers on the Bale app is also supporting the campaign.

This campaign began about a week before the war began. The first related website was registered on February 21. Sixteen days later, a second website was created and began being used in the campaign. According to the online monitoring platform Check-Host, these websites were not accessible from outside Iran.

Is campaign also spreading through SMS?

Vahid Online, a commentator on Iranian affairs, shared several screenshots on Telegram showing messages sent to Iranian citizens urging them to register on a website or join the campaign via SMS. The messages were captioned "International Campaign for the Trump Assassination Reward." They also provided links to apps and websites where people could participate or contribute financially.

What is the reward?

Viral posters on Telegram claim a $100 million reward for the assassination of the US president. Separately, the Iran-linked hacking group "Handala" has also announced $50 million reward for Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

This development comes in response to the US Justice Department's $10 million bounty for information on key IRGC members. The list of individuals on whom the bounty has been placed also includes Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei.