US received intel of Iranian plot to assassinate Trump, CNN reports

Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump, with a bandage on his ear, attends Day 1 of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, July 15, 2024. Trump was shot in the ear during a campaign rally on Saturday, July 13, in Pennsylvania. REUTERS/Callaghan O’hare/File photo

WASHINGTON – The United States received intelligence from a human source in recent weeks about an Iranian plot to try to assassinate former President Donald Trump, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing people briefed on the matter.

CNN reported that there was no indication that the 20-year-old suspect in the shooting of Trump on Saturday was connected to the plot.

The U.S. Secret Service and the Trump campaign were made aware of the plot before Saturday’s rally, a CNN reporter posted on X, citing a U.S. national security official.

Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi told the network that the agency recently “added protective resources and capabilities to the former President’s security detail.”

The Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

The agency has come under scrutiny in recent days after the suspected gunman had gained access to a roof unimpeded and fired directly at Trump, grazing his ear, killing a rallygoer and wounding two other attendees. — Reuters