Iranian plot against Trump reveals security gaps at Pennsylvania rally
7:03 AM EDT, July 17, 2024
American intelligence services received information about a potential Iranian plot against Donald Trump in recent weeks, CNN reported on Tuesday. Thomas Crooks, who shot at the former president in Pennsylvania on Saturday, was not part of the conspiracy, sources told the network.
According to CNN informants, American services obtained information about a potential Iranian assassination attempt on the Republican candidate's life from a human source. This information led to increased protection for Trump in recent weeks.
The network notes that this fact raises new questions about how the services allowed the attempt during the rally in Pennsylvania. However, there is no information linking the 20-year-old to the Iranian assassination plans.
Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council, spoke on the matter. "The investigation of Saturday’s attempted assassination of former President Trump is active and ongoing. At this time, law enforcement has reported that their investigation has not identified ties between the shooter and any accomplice or co-conspirator, foreign or domestic," she stated.
Trump's campaign was aware of the threat
Trump's campaign reportedly received warnings not to organize more difficult-to-protect open-air rallies and spontaneous meetings with people, although these warnings were general.
According to CNN, services were nonetheless concerned for months about Iran's possible intentions to kill Trump in revenge for the assassination of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps special forces commander General Qassem Soleimani a few years ago.
Previously, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies had thwarted similar attempts to assassinate former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton. Trump was also reportedly on the list of Iranian targets. New information about the threat, which recently emerged, coincided with a wave of propaganda campaigns in the media and on social media organized by Iran.
