Is There An Iranian Plot To Assassinate Trump
CNN claims to have reports on US authorities obtaining intelligence from human sources that Iran has plotted to assassinate Donald Trump. According to the report, the development has led to the Secret Service increasing security around the former president.
The report said that there is no indication that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the would-be assassin who attempted to kill Trump on Saturday, was connected to the plot. The existence of the intelligence threat from a hostile foreign intelligence agency — and the enhanced security for Trump — raises new questions about the security lapses on the rally in which Trump was attacked.
The Trump campaign did not disclose if it was aware of the said Iran threat. “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.
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Secret Services have warned the Trump campaign against repeatedly holding outdoor rallies, which pose greater risks than events to which the agency can better control access, people briefed on the matter told CNN.
“Secret Service learned of the increased threat from this threat stream. NSC directly contacted USSS at a senior level to be absolutely sure they continued to track the latest reporting. USSS shared this information with the detail lead, and the Trump campaign was made aware of an evolving threat. In response to the increased threat, Secret Service surged resources and assets for the protection of former President Trump. All of this was in advance of Saturday”, official told the outlet.
The Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations denied allegations of Iranian plot to assassinate Trump.
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“These accusations are unsubstantiated and malicious. From the perspective of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Trump is a criminal who must be prosecuted and punished in a court of law for ordering the assassination of General Soleimani. Iran has chosen the legal path to bring him to justice,” a spokesperson for the mission told CNN.
When CNN’s Fareed Zakaria pressed Iran’s acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani on the alleged Iranian assassination plot, asking in an interview if the plot was in retaliation for Soleimani’s killing, which took place during the Trump administration, the latter said Iran would only resort to judicial procedures.
“I told you explicitly that we would resort to legal and judicial procedures and frameworks at the domestic level and international level in order to bring the perpetrators and military advisers of General Soleimani’s assassination to justice,” Kani told Zakaria in an interview that will air Sunday on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS”.
(With inputs from CNN)
