US officials in recent weeks received intelligence from human sources about an Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump, a development that led the Secret Service to increase security around the former president in recent weeks.
Sources said there was no indication that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the alleged assassin who tried to kill the former president on Saturday, was involved in the plot.
The existence of an intelligence threat from a hostile foreign intelligence agency — and enhanced security for Trump — raises new questions about security lapses at Saturday’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and how a 20-year-old man close to Succeeded in gaining access to the area. Bullets hit the roof, injuring the former president.
A US national security official said the Secret Service and the Trump campaign were made aware of the threat before Saturday’s rally.
Secret Service officials have repeatedly warned the Trump campaign against holding outdoor rallies, which pose greater risks than events to which the agency better controls access, people briefed on the matter said. can do Sources said the warnings are more general in nature.
“The Secret Service and other agencies are constantly receiving new potential threat information and taking action to adjust resources as needed,” Anthony Guglielmi, an agency spokesman, said Tuesday. “We cannot comment on any specific threat series, other than to say that the Secret Service takes threats seriously and responds accordingly.”
For months, law enforcement officials have been concerned about the continued threat of Iran possibly trying to assassinate former Trump officials and the former president himself, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. But recent intelligence suggests a significant increase in the threat, sources said.
Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump is escorted off stage by U.S. Secret Service agents after he was shot during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. Butler County District Attorney Richard Goldinger said the shooter died after wounding former US President Donald Trump, killing one audience member and wounding another.
