Secret Service knew about Iranian plot before Trump assassination attempt
Jul 16, 2024, 2:12 PM | Updated: Jul 17, 2024, 8:47 am
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is covered by U.S. Secret Service agents at a campaign rally, Saturday, July 13, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Secret Service ramped up security after receiving intelligence about a plot by Iran to assassinate former President Donald Trump. The increases came before Saturday’s Trump assassination attempt in Pennsylvania.
According to CNN, there is no link between Saturday’s shooting and the Iranian plot. The Trump campaign had been alerted about the Iranian plot before the attack.
Associated Press reported that Adrienne Watson, a National Security spokesperson, said they’ve been tracking Iranian threats to Trump for years.
The increased security has not only been around former President Trump. AP noted stronger security around President Joe Biden and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an independent candidate, following the attempted Trump assassination.
CNN reported that the Trump campaign has been warned “repeatedly” about hosting outdoor rallies. They pose greater security risks, as there is less control over access in an open space.
The warnings were not specific, but rather generalized. At one point, the former president’s campaign stopped holding spontaneous events. Security concerns were cited, as guests didn’t go through as thorough of security checks before them, said CNN.
Iran’s assassination plots
CNN reported that Iran has been seeking revenge since the 2020 military killing of Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an Iranian military group.
Other Trump administration officials have also faced threats from Iran.
In August 2022, the Justice Department filed criminal charges against an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps member. The department said the member had been working to orchestrate an assassination of John Bolton.
Bolton worked as Trump’s national security advisor. CNN reported that prosecutors thought the assassination plan was in retaliation for Soleimani’s killing.
Additionally, Robert O’Brian, a different Trump administration national security advisor, also faced threats. He has been receiving security from the U.S. government until last summer.
Now, O’Brien pays for his own security personnel.
Related: Shooting at Trump rally is being investigated as assassination attempt, AP sources say
