Federal agents became aware in recent weeks that the Islamic Republic of Iran is plotting an assassination attempt on former President Donald J. Trump. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says they have received human-sourced intelligence regarding the plot—allegedly increasing Trump’s security detail.
However, any changes to the security situation involving Trump did not appear to deter would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks, who fired several shots at the former president on Saturday, striking him in the ear and killing hero rallygoer Corey Comperatore while he shielded his family.
At the moment, it is not believed that Crooks and the Iranian plot against Trump’s life are connected.
Iran’s plot against Trump stems from his order in September 2020 to target one of the Islamic state’s top military commanders, Qassem Soleimani, in a drone strike. Soleimani was tied to numerous attacks by Iranian proxies against American soldiers—and believed to be the nexus of Iranian terror activities. Soleimani was killed in the strike, prompting the Iranians to declare him a martyr and swear revenge.
The existence of the Iran assassination plot raises even more questions regarding the security lapses and apparent lack of resources for Trump‘s United States Secret Service (USSS) detail at last Saturday’s rally. Video evidence shows rallygoers attempting to draw the attention of law enforcement to the gunman for several minutes before he opened fire.
Additional reports suggest that law enforcement had identified the would-be assassin as a suspicious person of interest upwards of half an hour before the shooting occurred.
According to the USSS, the rooftop—an elevated position just 400 feet away from where former President Trump was speaking—from which the attack was carried out was a high-priority location of concern. Despite this, no agents were stationed on the roof.