Shooting Trump: Neglecting his security
Photo: REUTERS.
Following the attempted assassination of former US President and presidential candidate Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, where he was shot in the ear by a young white gunman at close range, many questions have arisen.
KP turned to Alexander Mikhailov, a retired FSB general, for comment.
– A little over a hundred meters from the shooter to Trump. Should the former president’s security have complete control over that distance?
– The first-person security service is responsible for the perimeter of protection of the president himself or the former president. The rest is related to comprehensive security. This is the job of the police and other security services. There is cleaning, setting up posts, etc. If a person entered this area without problems with a rifle, then, excuse me, this is complete bullshit.
A bullet whistled past Trump’s ear.
Photo: REUTERS.
– So is this someone’s incompetence or a deliberate non-accident?
– This is negligence. In general, the guys who work there in personal security are competent. But it turns out that the perimeter was not checked. The surroundings have not been cleared. 150 meters for a good shooter is ugh. This distance is for a second-rate shooter. The distance to hit the target with confidence.
“But the shooter hit Trump’s ear and killed the man standing next to him.” I mean, he’s not a well-trained sniper yet?
– I don’t know, but it still feels like he’s shooting to kill. There was a story about Khrushchev’s son, who shot an apple at his comrade’s head. Two or three centimeters is a mistake when Trump suddenly turns or jerks. This is not a magician in a circus.
The politician fell and security ran towards him.
Photo: REUTERS.
– Why was the sniper not eliminated immediately, not even in the first seconds after the shot?
– The first task is to protect the protected person and evacuate him. Then – to identify the sector from which the shooting came. Then – to neutralize the shooter.
Security helped Trump rise
Photo: REUTERS.
– Why were the nearby roofs not checked?
– Well, we don’t know what kind of inspection system they have. And what kind of security system? They could check the attics, but not the roofs. And they didn’t see who was there, they didn’t take him out. It’s not clear what kind of inspection rules they have for work at mass meetings of a presidential candidate. Oswald shot Kennedy from the window of a bookstore. Did they check them there? I know that in Soviet times, in the window of the Intourist Hotel on Gorky Street, today Tverskaya, there was a KGB high school cadet in each room. This was the case before the parades on May 9 and November 7. They sat at every window.
The injured Trump was evacuated from the podium.
Photo: REUTERS.
Trump was shot in the ear
Photo: REUTERS.
– Ordinary American citizens claim to have seen a guy with a rifle walk up onto the roof.
– All of this needs to be checked. They may have seen someone, but they may not have specifically alerted the police. There needs to be a thorough investigation to determine everyone’s guilt. Whether or not safety regulations have been violated. It depends on what they say in the instructions.
