Iran threat led to increased protection for Trump, but Saturday’s attack appears to have nothing to do with it

WASHINGTON (AP) — A threat against Donald Trump’s The shooting in Iran prompted increased security measures in the days leading up to Saturday’s campaign rally but was unrelated to the assassination attempt on the Republican presidential candidate, two U.S. officials said Tuesday, as police warned of a possible further outbreak of violence following the shooting.

National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said officials have been tracking Iranian threats against Trump administration officials for years, starting with the last administration. Trump ordered the killing of Qassem Soleimani, who led the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, in 2020.

“These threats result from Iran’s desire to avenge the killing of Qassem Soleimani. We view this as a national and domestic security matter of the highest priority,” Watson said.

U.S. intelligence and the Trump campaign team have been briefed on the latest threat, leading to an increase in resources and assets, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence issues.

The additional funds did not prevent Attack on rally in Pennsylvania on Saturdaywhere a 20-year-old man with an AR-style rifle opened fire from a nearby rooftop, injuring the former president’s ear, killing one protester and seriously wounding two others.

Watson said no links had been established between the shooter at the rally “and any accomplice or co-conspirator, either domestic or foreign.”

Since the shooting at the rally, rhetoric online has become particularly concerning, “as individuals in some online communities have threatened, encouraged, or suggested violent acts in response to the assassination attempt,” according to a joint intelligence bulletin from the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI obtained by The Associated Press.

Presidents – and presidential candidates – are a frequent target of threats, but FBI and Department of Homeland Security officials are “concerned about the potential for further violence or retaliation following this attack,” said the bulletin released Monday evening. Law enforcement warned that lone perpetrators and small groups “will continue to view rallies and campaign events as attractive targets.”

Trump and President Joe Biden are now surrounded by visibly increased security personnel. And independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. received protection from the Secret Service after the shooting.

When Biden boarded Air Force One for Las Vegas on Monday evening, he was surrounded by other agents. When Trump made his first post-shooting Trump’s appearance at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee that same evening drew a much larger presence than his previous appearances. Security officials had set up a protective barrier between Trump and the crowd, preventing him from greeting his supporters as casually as he usually does.

The visibly increased presence is intended to provide a show of force and additional protection, but is also an attempt to reassure Americans worried about the potential for further violence after the already tense and spiteful 2024 election season turned deadly.

Both Trump and Biden have called for unity following the shooting. Biden has repeatedly said that Political violence must be rejected.

The FBI has no clear motive for the shooting and the The investigation is ongoingBiden ordered an independent review of the federal government’s response after questions arose about how the shooter was able to get so close to the stage and why the increased security presence did not prevent the attack.

“This attack reinforces our assessment that election-related targets face an increased threat from attacks or other types of disruptive incidents,” the bulletin said.

Security is also increased in the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in a few weeks.

The U.S. Secret Service, which is tasked with protecting the president, former presidents, their spouses, some other politicians and major security events, has protocols in place that allow room to adapt security needs at any given moment, such as sending additional agents into the candidate’s circle or beefing up behind-the-scenes operations and deploying additional advance teams that travel ahead to scout sites and test for vulnerabilities.

Under federal law, former presidents and their spouses are protected by the Secret Service for life. Security measures for former presidents vary depending on the threat level and their level of notoriety. They are usually tightest immediately after they leave office and become less well-known as the years go by—but never stop altogether.

Trump card is the first modern ex-president to seek another termand because of his high profile, his security detail has always been larger than that of some of his colleagues. That protection has become even tighter in recent months, as he has become the expected Republican presidential nominee. All major party candidates receive increased security, with counter-assault and sniper teams similar to those of the president.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Monday that Biden had also ordered protection for Kennedy, whose election campaign urged the President for months to grant him Secret Service protection and sent several requests for various Incidents.

Kennedy’s uncle, President John F. Kennedy, and his father, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, were both assassinated.

For Trump, a tighter security protocol could complicate his interactions. He often signs autographs, shakes hands and poses for selfies on runways and at events.

In many of the cities he visits, the campaign gathers supporters in public spaces like restaurants and fast-food outlets. The images and videos of his reception and interactions – shared online by his campaign staff and conservative media – have been vital to his 2024 campaign.

But these events can be turbulent. While he was in New York during his hush money trial, Trump’s associates arranged a series of visits to a local wine cellar, a local fire station and a construction site.

Before his arrival in the Bodega in HarlemThousands of supporters and spectators gathered behind medical barriers for several blocks to watch and cheer the arrival of his motorcade, but some were frustrated by the visit, including people who were dropped off at a bus stop directly outside the store and others who were trying to enter their homes after work.

At one point, a resident of the building began yelling from a window directly above the entrance, where Trump would eventually stand to speak to the cameras and answer reporters’ questions.

Biden also often stays long after his events have ended, chatting with people. At a campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, last week, he spent nearly an hour in the sun, shaking hands, taking selfies and talking to people up close. Earlier in Philadelphia, he was surrounded by churchgoers crowding the pews hoping to speak to him while his agents monitored the crowd, in some cases pushing people further back.

Biden often talks about how difficult it is to interact with the public given security concerns.

“I love the Secret Service” Biden said last week at a campaign office in Philadelphia“But I can’t do what I used to do.” He said he often drove his car and got out to talk to people, but “realistically, I can’t do that anymore. It’s just too dangerous what’s happening out there.”

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Madhani reported from Las Vegas and Colvin from Milwaukee. Associated Press writers Zeke Miller in Washington and Jim Mustian in New York contributed to this report.