An Iraqi man has been arrested in the US in connection with a plot to assassinate former President George W. Bush.

Shihab Ahmed Shihab Shihab is charged with aiding and abetting the attempted assassination of a former United States official, as well as an immigration offense for his alleged attempt to smuggle foreign nationals into the United States, according to the Department of Justice. Shihab planned to ferry four Iraqi citizens as part of a plot, CNN reports.

According to the documents, the FBI uncovered the conspiracy through confidential informants, one of whom recorded conversations about the conspiracy with Shihab in meetings late last year and in the spring. There is no indication in the documents that the former president was ever in danger.

During a November meeting, Shihab is alleged to have told an FBI informant that they wanted to kill former President Bush because they felt he was responsible for killing many Iraqis and breaking up Iraq.

Shihab described himself as a soldier awaiting instructions from the Qatari leadership, according to the January conversation outlined in the warrant application.