The US received intelligence in recent weeks about a plot by Iran to try to assassinate former president Donald Trump, according to US news organisations. The threat had no apparent connection to the recent attempt on Trump’s life, said the reports. Iran on Wednesday rejected accusations of involvement in the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump at a Pennsylvania rally.
The US Secret Service increased security for Donald Trump weeks ago after authorities learned of an Iranian plot to kill him, although it was not linked to the recent attempt on his life, US media reported Tuesday.
CNN reported that US authorities received intelligence from a "human source" on a plan by Tehran targeting the former president, causing protection to be boosted for Trump. Other US outlets also reported the plot.
But it was not connected to the shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in which gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at Trump, leaving the Republican wounded and killing a rally attendee, they said.
The US National Security Council said it had been "tracking Iranian threats against former Trump administration officials for years" as Tehran sought revenge for the 2020 killing of Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani.
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"We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority," spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
The investigation into the Trump shooting on Saturday "has not identified ties between the shooter and any accomplice or co-conspirator, foreign or domestic," she added.
Watson referred questions on "additional measures that have been implemented in recent weeks" to the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security.
Iran slams ‘malicious’ US reports
Tehran on Wednesday rejected what it called "malicious" accusations by US media implicating it in a plot to kill Trump.
Iran’s mission to the UN called the accusations "unsubstantiated and malicious".
“Iran is determined to prosecute Trump due to his direct role in the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said, using the abbreviation for the Revolutionary Guards.
“But it strongly rejects any interference in the recent armed attack against Trump or the claims about Iran’s intention for such an action and considers such claims to have biased political objectives and motives,” he added.
‘Constantly receiving’ new potential alerts
Top US Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi on Tuesday said they and other agencies were "constantly receiving new potential threat information and taking action to adjust resources as needed."
"We cannot comment on any specific threat stream other than to say that the Secret Service takes threats seriously and responds accordingly," Guglielmi added in a statement.
There was no immediate reaction from the Department of Homeland Security.
The report comes as the Secret Service faces intense scrutiny over the Butler shooting, with questions over how a gunman was able to open fire at Trump from an exposed rooftop some 150 meters (500 feet) away.
US President Joe Biden has ordered an independent review of the agency's handling of the incident.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
