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 who tried to assassinate Trump on Saturday was connected to the plot.
Secret Service had increased security around Trump in recent weeks, according to CNN.
The existence of an intelligence threat from a foreign hostile nation and Trump's recently increased security raises questions about how a 20-year-old managed to access a nearby rooftop to fire shots at a former president.
It is unclear whether the Trump campaign was briefed on the Iranian threat, which said in a statement, “We do not comment on President Trump’s security detail. All questions should be directed to The United States Secret Service,” CNN reported.
The Secret Service recently “added protective resources and capabilities to the former President’s security detail,” agency spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said on Sunday in a statement.
Iran later dismissed these claims. "From the perspective of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Donald Trump is a criminal who should be tried and punished in a court for ordering the assassination of General Soleimani, the late commander of IRGC Quds Force in Iraq, in early 2020," the Permanent Mission Of The Islamic Republic Of Iran to the United Nations said on Tuesday in response, the IRGC-backed MEHR News Agency reported.
"Iran has chosen a legal path to hold the former US president to account," the Iran UN mission added in its statement.
Repeated warnings
Trump's security has warned the Trump campaign against holding rallies outside, which are higher-risk events than indoor events, where his security can better keep attendees safe.
During this election cycle, the campaign stopped holding spontaneous off-the-record events where guests weren’t swept by Secret Service beforehand due to security concerns, CNN reported.
The FBI declined to comment on the subject.