How did shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks manage to position himself so close to Donald Trump, to the point of having him in his sights, without being arrested? Theories have been flying from all sides since the attempted assassination of the Republican presidential candidate, but poor coordination between security services has caught the attention of experts consulted by The duty.
“It’s clear that there was a security failure,” observes Marc Parent, who was head of the Montreal Police Department (SPVM) during the attack on Pauline Marois at the Métropolis in 2012. He is currently CEO of the Commissionnaires du Québec.
National security expert Michel Juneau-Katsuya said that normally the Secret Service provides close protection for Mr. Trump, while local police are responsible for securing the grounds. Since the rooftop where the shooter was located was located 130 meters from the podium, it was theoretically the responsibility of the Butler Police Department.
However, the responsibility for the situation remains “shared,” explains the former Canadian Security Intelligence Service agent. According to him, the standards applicable to a gathering like Saturday’s dictate that a command centre be set up to allow collaboration between the various authorities, including the local police. The secret services are still the ones “leading the operation,” since it involves the protection of a former president, he notes.
This situation is reminiscent of Pauline Marois’ victory party in 2012, when the new premier was the victim of an assassination attempt. The various security authorities also shared out the tasks for the evening, leaving some blind spots in the protection provided. “The inside of the building was the responsibility of the Sûreté du Québec (SQ); the outside, the Montreal police,” says Mr. Juneau-Katsuya. Here again, responsibility was shared, even though the SQ was leading the operations.
“Due to a lack of communication and coordination in the deployment of their personnel, both the SQ and the SPVM failed in their obligation to ensure the safety of the public, in this case that of the applicants,” a Superior Court judge finally determined in 2022.
Whose fault is it ?
On Monday night, US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle took responsibility for the events of July 13 in an interview broadcast by ABC. She confirmed that the building where the shooter was located had been placed within the “outer perimeter” of the rally. “Local police were present in that area,” she said, but did not explain how Thomas Matthew Crooks was able to climb onto the roof without being stopped.
“Any reports suggesting that the Secret Service is blaming local police for Saturday’s incident are simply false,” the US Secret Service said. on the social network X Tuesday.
In the United States, the secret service has a mandate to protect all presidents, including former ones. But the degree of protection offered differs between a former president like Mr. Trump and the current leader of the country, notes Michel Juneau-Katsuya. Donald Trump would have benefited from greater protection if he had been an official candidate for the presidency, which was not yet the case on Saturday.
In short, protection “increases and climbs as you get closer to power,” the national security expert summarizes. “And when you’re in power, obviously, you have the full package.”
One thing is certain, according to the experts consulted by The duty : Last Saturday’s assassination attempt should not have happened. “What was really missing in this case, and it is increasingly clear, is that we knew this place (the roof) as a vulnerability. And despite that, it was not secured,” says Marc Parent.
With Agence France-Presse
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