The Biden administration received intelligence hinting at an Iranian plot to assassinate former President Donald Trump, which prompted the Secret Service (SS) to ramp up security around the former president, according to reports.
However, there is no indication that either the Pennsylvania shooting or Tuesday's knife-yielding man was in any way linked to these, said the report quoting three senior SS agents.
A US national security official told CNN that the Secret Service and the Trump campaign were made aware of the threat before Saturday’s rally. "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," the report added.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations dismissed the allegations of an assassination plot as "unsubstantiated and malicious."
The Trump campaign refused to acknowledge whether or not they were aware of the Iran threat, stating they do not comment on President Trump’s security detail. It referred all questions in this regard to the United States Secret Service.
Sources told CNN that the SS officials repeatedly warned the Trump campaign against holding outdoor rallies but the warnings were more general in nature, the sources said. "The Secret Service and other agencies are constantly receiving new potential threat information and taking action to adjust resources, as needed," Anthony Guglielmi, an agency spokesman, told CNN. "We cannot comment on any specific threat stream, other than to say that the Secret Service takes threats seriously and responds accordingly."
Ever since the drone killing of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian military’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in January 2020, the Iranian regime has been plotting harm to current and former American officials and military officers, according to officials.
Man shot dead
Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman speaks at a news conference after Samuel Sharpe Jr. was shot and killed by five Ohio police officers who were in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention |AP
The Ohio police officers in Wisconsin for the Republican National Convention shot and killed a man who was wielding two knives near the convention.
Five members of the Columbus, Ohio, police department fired on the man after he refused to heed police commands. The attacker, who has not been identified, charged another unarmed man before the police fired, Milwaukee Chief Jeffrey Norman said at a news conference on Tuesday.
"Someone's life was in danger, Norman said. These officers, who were not from this area, took it upon themselves to act and save someone's life today."
However, the incident fuelled anger from residents who questioned the presence of out-of-state officers in their neighbourhood. Thousands of officers from multiple jurisdictions are in Milwaukee to provide additional security for the convention that began Monday and concludes Thursday.
However, there was nothing to suggest the shooting was related to the convention itself.
