Before the assassination attempt against Trump, Secret Service was increased due to alleged Iranian threats against the former President.
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Former President and Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump had harsh words for Iran on reports of the country’s attempts to assassinate him.
Responding to a moment in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress during which he described alleged Iranian plots against Donald Trump, the former president took to social media.
Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, “If they do ‘assassinate President Trump, which is always a possibility, I hope that America obliterates Iran, wipes it off the face of the Earth.”
He added, “If that does not happen, American Leaders will be considered ‘gutless’ cowards!”
Following the assassination attempt against Donald Trump, claiming the life of a firefighter, wounding two others, and causing an injury to Trump’s ear, CNN reported that secret service security around the former President had been increased due to alleged Iranian threats against him.
This news raises questions about the security lapses that led to the assassination attempt carried out by Thomas Matthew Crooks against Trump.
There is no indication of any connection between the Iranian plot and Crooks’ attempt to kill the former President.
“Secret Service learned of the increased threat from this threat stream,” a security official told CNN.
The Secret Service officials said the Trump campaign was aware of the heightened threat and warned them not to hold outdoor rallies where it was harder to vet attendees.
However, the Trump campaign would not comment on the matter, “We do not comment on President Trump’s security detail. All questions should be directed to The United States Secret Service,” the campaign said in a statement.
During a certain period, the campaign stopped holding spontaneous off-the-record events at which the Secret Service could not thoroughly check guests beforehand.
Since the killing of General Soleimani, commander of the Iranian military’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in January 2020 by the US, there have been reports of Iranian assassination plots against officials in the Trump administration.
In 2022, the Justice Department imposed criminal charges against the IRGC terror group for plotting to assassinate John Bolton, Trump’s national security advisor.
The Iranians had also planned to assassinate Trump’s former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.