The FBI has admitted the assassination attempt on former President Trump was aided by a drone. The shooter apparently used the drone to get footage of where Trump was speaking.
This is a serious security lapse and something that could have been easily prevented if the security agencies had used drone detection technology at the location where the former president took the stage.
The harrowing incident unfolded at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. A gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire from a rooftop, hitting Mr. Trump in the right ear, killing one attendee and leaving two others badly injured.
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FBI Director Christopher Wray provided new details on the drone that was recovered from the gunman. While speaking before the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, Wray noted that the shooter flew a drone over the Butler fairgrounds about two hours before Trump spoke at the rally.
Wray said Crooks flew the drone around the area, roughly 200 yards from the stage, from around 3:50 p.m. to 4 p.m. Trump took the stage around 6 p.m.
"We think – but we do not know, so again, this is one of these things that is qualified because of our ongoing review – that he was live-streaming, viewing the footage [for] about 11 minutes," he said.
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According to the FBI head, investigators have successfully reverse-engineered the drone's flight path from the day of the rally. They believe the drone footage would have provided the shooter with a view of what was behind him, essentially acting like a rearview mirror for the scene.
Wray's statement clearly indicates that the drone played an important role in informing the gunman of his surroundings and helping him plan the assassination attempt. At the time of the shooting, the drone was in Crooks' vehicle, he said, adding that the device is now "being exploited and analyzed by the FBI lab."
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A drone detection system could have easily alerted the Secret Service about an unidentified drone flying in the region. Such systems are already utilized by the Army and certain police departments. For example, defense company Dedrone’s airspace security solution is currently used by the St. Petersburg Police Department in Florida and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
Dedrone’s official website mentions that its drone detection system can not only detect the presence of a drone but also determine the drone and pilot's location.
Drone detection systems also capture data such as the drone's manufacturer, model, time and length of activity, video verification and flight history (including flight path). This data could have been easily used to identify suspicious activity at the Pennsylvania rally and might have led to the arrest and prosecution of the gunman even before he attempted the assassination.
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It’s known that counter-drone technology is currently restricted in use. Regulations limit its deployment to specific DoD (Department of Defense) personnel during narrowly defined events. However, the rally should have qualified as the kind of National Security Event that the regulations were designed to address.
If not drone detection tech, the Secret Service could have at least employed drones to capture aerial images of the site. Drones would have provided an unobstructed view of the building from which the shooter fired at Trump. Even if there were obstacles blocking a direct line of sight, drones equipped with thermal cameras could have scanned the building for potential threats.
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The assassination attempt on former President Trump highlights the need for drone detection technology at high-profile events. Had such technology been in place, the Secret Service could have detected the unauthorized drone activity, potentially preventing the shooter from gathering crucial reconnaissance footage.
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