Donald Trump’s Secret Service security was heightened in the weeks leading up to the assassination attempt because of intelligence about an alleged plot by Iran to eliminate the former president.
A human source informed U.S. officials about the plot, According to a new report from CNN.
Shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks does not appear to be linked to the Iranian plot at this time.
Crooks, 20, shot Trump in the ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday before being escorted away by the US Secret Service.
The new report about heightened security around the former president could raise even more questions after Republican outcry erupted over how the Secret Service failed to spot the would-be assassin before he opened fire at the rally.
Since the attack that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qasem Soleimani, Iran has vowed revenge. The attack took place during Trump’s presidency in January 2020.
Officials who worked in national security in the Trump administration have had tight security teams ever since.
US officials received information from a source in recent weeks detailing the Iranian plot to assassinate Trump, several people briefed on the situation told CNN.
In a statement Sunday, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the agency recently “added resources and protective capabilities to the former president’s security team.”
The Trump campaign has received multiple warnings recently about its outdoor rallies because they pose greater risks than indoor events that have controlled access points to the venue.
But sources say these warnings were more general in nature and did not specifically reveal the threat from Iran.
Would-be killer Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, does not appear to have been linked to the Iranian plot.
Saturday’s assassination attempt on Trump does not appear to be related to Iran’s plan to carry out its own attacks against the former president and now official Republican presidential candidate for 2024.
Crooks was a registered Republican who donated money to a group supporting President Joe Biden in 2021. He graduated from high school in 2022 in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, and was described as a loner who suffered from bullying.
The gunman was neutralized by officers seconds after shooting Trump in the ear.
He killed one rally-goer, former fire chief and father of two Corey Comperatore, 50, and seriously injured two others: David Dutch, 57, and James Copenhaver, 74.
