Security agencies identified Iranian plot to assassinate Trump separate from weekend attempt

WASHINGTON ― The White House continues to track threats by Iran against former Trump administration officials, but law enforcement officials have not identified ties between Saturday’s attempted assassination of Donald Trump and any foreign officials, according to a statement Tuesday from the National Security Council.

CNN reported that the Secret Service had beefed up security for Trump in recent weeks after intelligence showed Iran had been plotting to kill Trump.

The White House, after learning of the threat, confirmed with the Secret Service at a senior level that they were continuing to track the lastest reporting, according to a national security official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

The Trump campaign was made aware of “an evolving threat,” the official said. The Secret Service then surged resources and assets to protect Trump. These actions occurred before Saturday’s shooting, the official said.

“As we have said many times, we have been tracking Iranian threats against former Trump administration officials for years, dating back to the last administration,” National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. “These threats arise from Iran’s desire to seek revenge for the killing of Qassem Soleimani. We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority.”

The Secret Service, which has been under scrutiny since Saturday's assassination attempt of Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, also responded to the report: "The Secret Service and other agencies are constantly receiving new potential threat information and taking action to adjust resources as needed,” agency spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. “We cannot comment on any specific threat stream other than to say that the Secret Service takes threats seriously and responds accordingly."

Trump ordered the killing of Soleimani, who led Iran’s elite Qud’s Force, part of the country’s hard-line paramilitary Revolutionary Guard Corps. The attack that killed Soleimani led to a missile attack on U.S. troops at a base in Iraq that wounded more than 100.

Watson referred questions about increased security for Trump in recent weeks to the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iranian plot to kill Trump detected; separate from rally attempt