Iranian plot to assassinate Trump uncovered by US intelligence, no apparent connection to Pennsylvania shooting

NSC official says USSS ‘surged assets to protect former President Trump’

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The United States recently obtained intelligence related to an Iranian plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump in the lead-up to the November elections, according to a report by CNN on Tuesday.

The Iranian plot is believed to be in retaliation for Trump’s order to kill the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, in 2020.

While U.S. officials have been aware of various plots to avenge Soleimani’s death by the Islamic regime in the years following the killing, there has been an increase in intelligence in recent months.

Two senior U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence said information about the Iranian plot came from various sources, including human intelligence. The sources also said that while there is no known connection between the Iranian plot and Saturday’s assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, further assassination attempts are possible in the months leading up to the November elections.

“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,” said Adrienne Watson, a spokeswoman for the National Security Council.

“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.”

A U.S. national security official told CNN that the Secret Service and the Trump campaign were notified of the threat before the campaign rally in Butler on Saturday.

“Secret Service learned of the increased threat from this threat stream,” the official told CNN.

“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.”

The claim that the Secret Service “surged resources and assets” does not appear to fit the security detail for the Butler rally, in which some agents appeared to lack proper training and the rooftop from which the shooter fired was not properly controlled.

The New York Times reported that one of the officials briefed on the intelligence sharply criticized the Secret Service for the security oversight that allowed the shooter to get so close to Trump with a weapon.

A spokesperson for the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations told CNN the reports of an Iranian plot to assassinate Trump are “unsubstantiated and malicious.”

“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,” the spokesman stated.