Heightened Security for Trump Amid Alleged Iranian Plot
Protection for Donald Trump was heightened several weeks ago after U.S. authorities uncovered an Iranian plot to assassinate him, according to national security officials. Despite the increased security, questions have arisen about how Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, managed to get close enough to fire at Trump during an event in Pennsylvania last Saturday.
The U.S. Secret Service and the Trump campaign were informed of the Iranian threat, leading to enhanced security measures, a U.S. national security official confirmed. Intelligence sources revealed to CBS, the BBC’s U.S. news partner, that in June, the Secret Service increased counter-assault and counter-sniper agents, drones, and robotic dogs in response to the threat. This information was reportedly obtained through “human source intelligence,” coinciding with a rise in Iranian discussions about attacks on Trump.
Since the 2020 drone strike that killed Qassim Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s Quds force, in Iraq, Trump and former officials like Mike Pompeo have been targets of threats from Tehran. The Iranian mission at the United Nations dismissed the report as “unsubstantiated and malicious,” asserting that Trump is “a criminal who must be prosecuted and punished in a court of law.”
Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the U.S. Secret Service, stated that the agency continually receives potential threat information and adjusts resources as needed. He emphasized that the Secret Service takes all threats seriously but did not comment on any specific threat stream.
The Trump campaign referred inquiries about security to the Secret Service, while White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson acknowledged that U.S. security officials have been monitoring Iranian threats against former Trump administration officials for years. She reiterated that these threats are driven by Iran’s desire for revenge over Soleimani’s killing and are considered a top national and homeland security priority. Watson also noted that the investigation has not linked Crooks to any foreign or domestic accomplices.
In 2022, the Department of Justice charged a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with orchestrating a plot to kill John Bolton, likely in retaliation for Soleimani’s death.
Amid questions about security lapses at the Pennsylvania event, where Crooks got within 130 meters (430 feet) of Trump, the Secret Service’s director admitted that local police were inside the building while Crooks was on its roof aiming at Trump. Despite the presence of three local police snipers inside the building who saw Crooks on the roof, he was not stopped. The local sheriff’s department referred inquiries to the state police, which said it was not responsible for the building’s area. A state police spokesperson confirmed they provided all requested resources, including 30 to 40 troopers inside the perimeter.
President Joe Biden has ordered an independent review of the incident, and the Secret Service is facing investigations from Congress on how the gunman managed to get so close to Trump.
