Trump security increased before shooting due to unrelated Iran threat

The big picture: U.S. officials learned of the threat from a human source and both the Secret Service and the Trump campaign were alerted to it before the rally took place, according to CNN, which first reported the Iranian plot.

• In response to the threat, a U.S. national security official told CNN that the Secret Service increased its protective measures around Trump ahead of the rally.
• Secret Service communications chief Anthony Guglielmi told Axios in a statement that the agency "cannot comment on any specific threat stream other than to say that the Secret Service takes threats seriously and responds accordingly."
• The Trump campaign and Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
• The Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations said in a statement that the allegations were "unsubstantiated and malicious."

State of play: "We have been tracking Iranian threats against former Trump administration officials for years, dating back to the last administration," NSC spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

• The threats arise out of Iran's desire to take revenge for the killing of Qasem Soleimani in 2020, she added.

• While the investigation into Saturday's shooting is ongoing, no ties have been identified between the shooter and "any accomplice or co-conspirator, foreign or domestic," Watson said.

Zoom out: The rally shooting has sparked intense scrutiny of the Secret Service's work and highlighted the rising threats of political violence against elected leaders.

• The assassination attempt has already prompted a flurry of congressional investigations.
• The FBI is probing the incident as both an assassination attempt and potential domestic terrorism.

Go deeper: Everything we know about the attempted assassination of former President Trump