Greece (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – In light of the attack on President Trump and the subsequent events, many questions arise not only about the safety of political figures but also about the overall responsibility of the secret services and their mandate. The entire world is commenting on the broader lack of operational readiness and the overall performance of the President’s security detail. Many are acknowledging the ingenious simplicity with which the young man managed to embarrass the United States on a global scale.
The profile of the Lone Wolf
According to state voter records, the gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was a registered Republican and had donated $15 to a Democratic political action committee at age 17. At the time of the shooting, he worked as a dietary aide at a nursing home. The Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center stated that Crooks performed his job without issue and passed a background check. The FBI reported that the gun used in the attack, an AR-style 5.56 caliber rifle, had been legally purchased, likely by the suspect’s father.
A “suspicious device” was also found in Crooks’ vehicle, which bomb technicians inspected and rendered safe. In response to accusations from some Trump supporters that it denied a campaign request for increased security, the Secret Service stated that it had recently “added protective resources and capabilities to the former President’s security detail.”
A law enforcement official reported that Crooks, allegedly used a drone to survey the Pennsylvania rally site in advance, indicating a failure in detecting and mitigating unauthorized aerial surveillance. The FBI, which is leading the investigation, recovered the drone, suggesting its role in planning the attack. Crooks fired several shots from the roof of a building near the Butler Farm Show grounds, where Trump was speaking, before being killed by a Secret Service counter sniper. The use of the drone likely enabled Crooks to identify the optimal firing position, underscoring a critical gap in preemptive security measures designed to prevent such reconnaissance.
The situation is even more serious because the gunman had gathered material on his future targets. In addition to saved images of Trump, there were images of President Joe Biden, Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Chris Wray, and a member of the British Royal Family (guess who). This news alone is terrifying, mainly due to the audacity of the young man and his belief that he could succeed. Now, any young person with social or mental health issues, or even individuals who think they are fulfilling their political, patriotic, or religious duty, might envision that they can assassinate anyone.
US Secret Service under Scrutiny
The law enforcement agency is currently facing several investigations into what happened and USSS Director Kim Cheatle was subpoenaed to testify at a House Oversight and Accountability Committee.
The U.S. Secret Service, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, is mainly responsible for protecting former President Trump as both an ex-president and a presidential candidate. This protection includes coverage at campaign rallies. Members of the Secret Service’s countersniper unit, also known as the Hercules team, along with the counterassault Hawkeye team, were present at Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania.
“The seriousness of this security failure and chilling moment in our nation’s history cannot be understated,” Representative Mark Green, a Tennessee Republican and chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, wrote in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The primary and most crucial team consists of agents who can physically protect the individual. A second team secures the event’s perimeters to ensure no weapons are present, while a third team monitors the outer perimeters, utilizing long-range binoculars and sniper rifles to address distant threats. The exact number of agents in each team is not specified.
On the other hand, it only takes one young person with psychological issues and no military training to catch the FBI off guard. The current concern is how other, more serious groups perceive these security gaps. The discussion now includes terrorist organizations, far-right paramilitary groups, and religiously radicalized youth. This is a mix that cannot be easily detected through their online footprints. Another issue is how much the intelligence agencies have invested in this area since we’re talking about sociopaths who aren’t interested in socializing or using social media.
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