By Steve Neavling
The Biden administration informed the Secret Service about an unspecified threat from Iran targeting Donald Trump prior to Saturday’s assassination attempt, though it is believed that the Pennsylvania shooting was not linked to any Iranian involvement, The Washington Post reports.
Following the warning, the Secret Service increased resources and assets to protect Trump, according to a national security official. Despite any adjustments to the security detail, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was still able to climb a rooftop near a Trump rally and open fire on the former president.
The revelation of an intelligence threat from a hostile foreign agency — along with the increased security measures for Trump — raises new concerns about the security lapses at the Saturday rally in Butler, Penn.
There are no known ties between the shooter and anyone else, said National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson.
“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,” Watson said in a statement. “These threats arise from Iran’s desire to seek revenge for the killing of Qassem Soleimani. We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority.”
U.S. intelligence officials have repeatedly cautioned that Iran might attempt to retaliate for the death of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad in 2020 under Trump’s orders.
Federal investigators are still trying to find a motive in Saturday’s assassination attempt. Authorities also are trying to figure out how Crooks eluded agents and local police.
