DONALD Trump had been warned against holding outdoor rallies and his Secret Service detail was increased due to an assassination plot by Iran before Saturday’s shooting, according to reports.
Weeks before the former president was the target of an assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania, a source alerted authorities of a plan by Iran to assassinate the business mogul.
Sources said assassination threats were made against Trump by IranAP
The tip led to increased security for Trump, CNN reported.
No connection has been made between Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old gunman who shot at the former president, and the Iranian government.
In a statement about Iran’s threats to Trump’s life and the response of the Secret Service, the Trump campaign said, “We do not comment on President Trump’s security detail. All questions should be directed to the United States Secret Service.”
In addition to warning the Trump campaign against holding outdoor events, a spokesperson for the Secret Service said the agency “added protective resources and capabilities to the former President’s security detail.”
The increase in security and the already existing threat from a hostile nation on Trump’s life make Saturday’s events even more puzzling.
Crooks sat on a rooftop a little over 400 feet away from the former president as he took aim.
The shocking shooting left the president wounded with blood dripping down the side of his face, one attendee dead, and two others seriously injured.
Secret Service agents surrounding Trump on stage immediately protected him, tackling him to the ground so hard that he lost his shoes.
In a video of the moment the agents toppled him, the former president could be heard saying “Let me get my shoes,” before being rushed off stage.
Snipers for the Secret Service promptly shot and killed Crooks after the attack.
FBI officials said they believed the shooter acted alone and did not mention any indication Crooks was working with Iran, CBS reported.
Despite the acts of heroism by those immediately surrounding the presidential candidate, the Secret Service has been the subject of much criticism over the past few days for not being proactive.
Former federal agents said the Secret Service failed its mission in preventing an attack like Saturday’s from happening, The New York Times reported.
“I think what you saw with the guy who was able to sneak on top of a roof is possibly because you had unqualified people not doing surveillance of the area,” 22-year Air Force veteran Darrell Smith previously told The U.S. Sun.
“I mean I’m a retired Air Force guy, I would have had drones in the area, surveilling the air, and you would have easily seen somebody on the rooftop, not just at ground level, and they obviously weren’t doing that.
“You got about three minutes of a guy that said ‘I saw a guy with a rifle climb on the roof,’ and no one told him about it.
“I’ve been in several military operations and three minutes means life and death, and we’re just very lucky that Trump didn’t lose his life.”
Since the assassination attempt, the Secret Service announced it will provide even more security during the Republican National Convention, taking place this week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
“I am confident in the security plan our Secret Service RNC coordinator and our partners have put in place, which we have reviewed and strengthened in the wake of Saturday’s shooting,” Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle said in a statement.
“The Secret Service is tasked with the tremendous responsibility of protecting the current and former leaders of our democracy.”
“It is a responsibility that I take incredibly seriously, and I am committed to fulfilling that mission.”
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