A plot has been brewing in Iran to assassinate Donald Trump, independent of Thomas Matthew Crooks' mysterious attempt last weekend, according to a new report.
U.S. authorities amped up security in recent weeks around the former president, convicted felon and presumptive Republican nominee after receiving intelligence from Iran, multiple sources told CNN Tuesday.
Those sources confirmed there was no indication the 20-year-old shot dead in Butler, Pa., on Saturday after taking a shot at Trump was connected to that plot, sources reportedly said.
"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 at the Saturday rally," CNN reports. Specifically, " how a 20-year-old man managed to access a nearby rooftop to fire shots that injured the former president."
It remains unclear if Trump's campaign knew of the possible threat. A spokesperson told CNN the campaign would not comment on his security detail.
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Sources told CNN that Secret Service officials warned the Trump campaign repeatedly not to hold higher-risk outdoor rallies.
Iran repeatedly vowed revenge after the U.S. Military in January 2020 killed Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian military’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, CNN reports.
Past targets have included John Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to CNN sources.
"For months, law enforcement officials have been concerned about the persistent threat of Iran potentially attempting to assassinate former Trump officials and the former president himself," multiple sources told CNN.
"Warnings about that operational planning have coincided with a noticeable surge of online messaging from Iranian accounts and state-backed media mentioning Trump."
