Amidst the growing concern over the security lapses surrounding the recent assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, news broke on Tuesday revealing that the United States had prior knowledge of an Iranian plot to kill the former president. Officials have stated they do not believe the attack on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, was related.
Reportedly, the Secret Service ramped up security measures in response to the perceived Iranian threat. However, these efforts were inadequate to stop Thomas Crooks, who fired multiple shots at the presidential candidate.
Iran, which has often issued threats against the United States and recently attacked Israel in an unprecedented move, appears to have been motivated by a desire for retaliation against Trump after he ordered the killing of Iranian Major General Qassim Suleimani in 2020.
“As we have said many times, we have been tracking Iranian threats against former Trump administration officials for years, dating back to the last administration,” disclosed a spokesperson for the National Security Council. “These threats arise from Iran’s desire to seek revenge for the killing of Qassim Suleimani. We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority.”
Sources familiar with the matter say Saturday’s shooting was not related to the alleged foreign plot to kill Trump, though the shooter’s motives remain unclear.
President Joe Biden and other critics have demanded a thorough investigation into the Secret Service’s handling of the incident at Trump’s rally. Recent reports suggest that at least three snipers were positioned inside the building from which Crooks fired at Trump. One of these snipers reportedly photographed the suspect before the attempted assassination, while bystanders alerted law enforcement about the would-be assassin at least 68 seconds before he opened fire.
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.
First, the assassination attempt. Now, an Iranian plot.
Published in Blog on July 16, 2024 by Jakob Fay
