Monstrous failure": "Blind spot": Everything that went wrong with the Trump assassination

ntv.de "Monstrous failure": "Blind spot": Everything that went wrong with the Trump assassination Marc Dimpfel • 1 hour • 5 minutes reading time Experts say that the authorities failed on several levels after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. A local police officer apparently let the assassin go in fear of his life. According to an analysis, the Secret Service snipers did not have a clear line of fire. Snipers were positioned on two roofs next to the stage. After the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, criticism of the security authorities continues unabated. How it was possible for 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks to position himself on the flat roof around 135 meters away, position his semi-automatic rifle and fire several shots at the former US president is currently the subject of investigations. Although spectators drew attention to the assassin, Trump's bodyguards did not target him until after the shots had been fired. According to Butler County Police Chief Michael Slupe, a local police officer followed up on witnesses' information and climbed onto the roof. There, the assassin threatened the police officer with his AR-15 rifle. The officer then left the roof "because he didn't want to be killed," Slupe told the Washington Post. Crooks then opened fire on Trump and was shot dead by the Secret Service. Two Secret Service units, each with two snipers, were to provide Trump's protection at the event. They were positioned on two rooftops to the left and right behind the stage. According to an analysis by Sky News, the fact that they did not spot Crooks earlier was probably due to a "blind spot." A tree blocked the view of the shooter for the unit closer to him. The second sniper team's field of vision may also have been at least impaired by the tree. That would explain why the Secret Service agents did not intervene earlier despite the clues. This is how the assassination attempt on former President Trump unfolded Two Secret Service units, each with two snipers, were supposed to provide Trump's protection at the event; they were positioned on two rooftops to the left and right behind the stage. According to an analysis by Sky News, the fact that they did not discover Crooks earlier was probably due to a "blind spot". A tree blocked the view of the shooter for the unit closer to them. The field of vision of the second sniper team could also have been at least impaired by the tree. That would explain why the Secret Service agents did not intervene earlier despite the clues. "Trump may have been even luckier than we originally thought," writes the data analyst on X. "Given the location of the two sniper teams and the shooter, it appears that only the southern team was not completely obstructed by a tree. If the shooter had been three meters further east, they would have been obstructed too." Nevertheless, Alexander finds it incomprehensible that the Secret Service did not notice Crooks. "The roof of the Secret Service is a little higher than the roof of the shooter. They could have at least seen something," he writes. Oliver Alexander As CNN reports, in addition to the Secret Service snipers, two local sniper teams were on site. One of the two teams was responsible for monitoring the building on which the shooter had laid down, it says, citing an anonymous source. Was the wall obscuring the weapon? Former FBI agent and sniper Steve Moore told CNN that the agents may have been aware of the shooter's location, but had "very limited visibility." "You can't just say, 'Oh, there's someone on the roof,' and shoot him," Moore said. "What they do is look, wait until they see a weapon. The problem is that there could be a slight wall in that area on the roof that obscured him." The fact that the shooter was outside the secured area is also causing confusion among experts. "If you look at this map, it clearly shows the buildings that are clearly within firing range," said former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe to CNN. One of the basics of site security is to eliminate all lines of sight to the person being protected, especially in outdoor areas. When planning security for such events, the Secret Service routinely relies on local authorities, as was the case here, a spokesman for the agency told the New York Times. According to the report, Secret Service officials always conduct a walkthrough of the site to determine the necessary resources. According to the US broadcaster NBS News, the Secret Service had already secured the roof days before the event.