Security lapses in focus after attempt on Trump's life

Experts surprised that highly trained sniper team failed to spot gunman as he climbed onto roof

A law enforcement sniper team prepares for the arrival of former president Donald Trump on a rooftop overlooking a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. EPA

In the hours after Donald Trump was shot through the ear by a would-be assassin – an attack that killed a bystander – security experts have reacted in astonishment at the lapse in protection for the former president.

Critics of security failures at Trump’s rally in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, pointed out that the gunman was able to take a firing position in full view of some of Trump's supporters, 150 metres from the former president.

Such a short range is well within the maximum accurate range of the gunman’s suspected weapon, the popular AR-15 rifle, which can accurately hit targets at about 500 metres, especially with scopes that typically provide over four times magnification or higher.

“That’s not a shot that someone should have missed,” a local law enforcement officer at the scene, who did not have authorisation to speak to the media, told The National.

“They’re going to be studying what happened for the next 50 years, same as the Kennedy assassination.”

The suspected gunman, who was killed in seconds by a marksman after firing at Trump, was also pointed out by bystanders as he took position on the roof of building.

Videos showed witnesses shouting to police to alert them of a threat, to no avail.

The Republican Party has called for officials from the Secret Service, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI for hearings soon. The House oversight panel called Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify on July 22.

Blake Hall, a former US army Iraq veteran, noted that the sniper team protecting Trump may have been too close to the gunman, with rifles optimised for shooting targets at long distances.

“The team only has long guns. You generally want a security element co-located with assault rifles that can engage much faster – especially within 300 metres. They couldn’t engage fast enough,” he wrote on X.

Secret Service in spotlight

The responsibility for protecting serving and former US presidents falls to the Secret Service.

According to the official remit of the organisation, in addition to protecting the sitting president, the service also defends “former presidents, their spouses, except when the spouse remarries”, in addition to cabinet members and visiting foreign dignitaries.

“Major presidential and vice presidential candidates, and their spouses within 120 days of a general presidential election” are also within this category.

A part of this work involves the services’ Special Operations Counter Sniper Team, which went into action on Saturday, killing Thomas Matthew Crooks.

What has worried officials is how many shots Crooks was able to fire before being shot.

The teams – often a marksman and a spotter – are present at events on building rooftops, scanning streets for suspicious activity with binoculars and sniper scopes.

The spotter pays attention to things like wind direction that might influence bullet trajectories to ensure the marksman can fire accurately on seconds’ notice.

According to the Secret Service, they regularly consult “with experts from other agencies in utilising the most advanced security techniques”. Much of their protection efforts for high-profile figures are classified.

Former Secret Service agent Joseph LaSorsa told The National he believes the suspect should never have been given the opportunity to fire at Trump from a roof.

“Obviously they need to make sure they're providing 360-degree protection and what that means is covering all the possibilities,” said Mr LaSorsa, who served in the Secret Service for 20 years during which time he protected presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and both Bushes.

“There should have been agent or a police officer posted on the roof. Having a police officer or an agent on a roof would have prevented what happened.

“More than likely that was a failure. When you have the staff available the preference would be to have an agent or an officer posted on every roof with a vantage point.”

Dan Kaszeta, a Secret Service veteran and associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, told The National one focus of inquiry could be a weak link in the co-ordination of the Secret Service and local authorities.

The Secret Service relies on support from local law enforcement agencies but co-ordination can be tricky between police forces.

“The further you go away from a city with a permanent [Secret Service] presence ... you'll end up with a situation where nobody [from the agency] knows anyone and can't herd the cats," Mr Kaszeta said.

Protective bubble

Often, security for the president is described as a giant, protective “bubble”.

Such a tight cordon of protection clearly was not present at Trump’s rally, and investigators will want to know why, and whether presidential candidates and former presidents will receive the same level of protection as the president.

Stephen Moore, an adviser to Trump, told the BBC that “certainly Trump needs more protection – there’s a lot of inquiry now about whether the Secret Service was totally prepared”.

In the long run, providing former presidents with the same level of security as a serving president will be costly.

Mr Biden for example, has an armoured limousine with eight-inch thick armoured doors known as “the beast,” as well as a personal protection team that has its own Secret Service backup force known as CAT – counter assault team.

This team, along with the counter sniper force, are highly elite forces akin to special forces soldiers, often with years of experience, in peak physical condition, having passed a rigorous selection process.