To prevent a potential assassination attempt on Donald Trump, his Secret Service security was increased after receiving intelligence about an alleged plot by Iran to harm the former president. ..Read Full Article
A human source informed U.S. officials of the plot, according to a new report from CNN.
It does not appear at the current time that shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks is connected to the Iranian plot.
Crooks, 20, shot Trump in the ear at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday before he was taken out by U.S. Secret Service.
Following the recent report on the heightened security measures around Trump, there has been criticism from Republicans about the failure of the Secret Service to uncover the threat before the attacker tried to shoot Trump at the rally.
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is under pressure to step down due to the significant security lapse, with accusations that there was no surveillance on the building where the assailant fired at Trump because of its sloped roof.
Ever since the attack that took out Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qasem Soleimani, Iran has vowed revenge. The attack took place under Trump’s presidency in January 2020.
Officials who worked on national security in Trump’s administration have had tight security teams since then.
And in March, the FBI posted a notice seeking information on an alleged Iranian spy the agency believed is ‘involved in plots to kill current and former US government officials.’
U.S. authorities were provided intelligence from a source in recent weeks detailing the Iranian plot to assassinate Trump, multiple people briefed on the situation told CNN.
In a statement on Sunday, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement that the agency recently ‘added protective resources and capabilities to the former President’s security detail.’
Trump’s campaign has received multiple warnings more recently about their outdoor rallies because it poses higher risks than indoor events that have controlled access points to the venue.
But sources claim these warnings were more general in nature and did not specifically disclose the threat from Iran.
The roof where Crooks was positioned to try and assassinate Trump was just 147 yards from where Trump was speaking on stage.
It does not appear that would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was connected to the Iranian plot
USSS Director Kimberly Cheatle claims there was no presence on top of the building where Crooks shot at Trump because it had a ‘sloped roof’. Pictured: Police stand on the slanted roof where the body lay of would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks
While local police snipers were inside the manufacturing building, none were on top because of the sloped roof, Cheatle claims.
‘That building in particular has a sloped roof at its highest point. And so, you know, there’s a safety factor that would be considered there that we wouldn’t want to put somebody up on a sloped roof,’ the Secret Service chief told ABC News in an interview Tuesday.
‘And so, you know, the decision was made to secure the building, from inside.’
Witnesses pleaded for law enforcement to act when they saw Crooks climb onto the roof with his AR-style rifle, but the lapse in security allowed him to remain there for up to 30 minutes before he pulled the trigger.
The mistakes that led to Trump nearly escaping death sparked calls for Cheatle to step down, but she has refused.
Saturday’s assassination attempt on Trump does not appear to be connected to the Iranian plan to carry out their own attacks against the former president and now officially the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
Crooks was a registered Republican who in 2021 donated to a group backing President Joe Biden. He graduated high school in 2022 in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania and was described as a loner who was bullied.
The gunman was neutralized by agents seconds after he shot Trump in the ear.
He killed one rally goer, former fire chief and father-of-two Corey Comperatore, 50, and critically injured two others – David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74.
Iran has vowed revenge ever since the January 2020 attack under President Trump that took out Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps General Qasem Soleimani (pictured)
The FBI released a notice in March for an alleged Iranian spy they say is behind the plot to assassinate current and former government officials in retribution for the death of Soleimani
Just four months before Saturday’s attempt, the FBI posted a notice requesting information on an alleged Iranian spy it believed to be involved in assassination plots.
Majid Farahani, 42, is accused by the FBI of plotting revenge killings after Iranian general Qasem Soleimani was killed in a Trump administration-led attack.
The FBI claims Farahani is acting on behalf of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence.
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