‘Red zone’: Personal protection and major event security expert details Secret Service failures

A top personal protection and major event security expert has identified the several “catastrophic failures” that almost saw Donald Trump killed.

A top personal protection and major event security expert has identified the several “catastrophic failures” that almost led to the assassination of Donald Trump.

The former president and Republican candidate was speaking at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania yesterday when a gunman positioned himself on the roof of a manufacturing workshop about 120 metres away.

Armed with an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, fired several shots, one of them grazing Trump’s right ear and another hitting and killing firefighter Corey Comperatore.

Scott Taylor, an Australian expert in personal protection, major security operations and risk assessment with 30 years of experience, described the situation as “staggering”.

“Donald Trump is alive due to luck,” Mr Taylor, founder of Praesidium Risk and Resilience, told news.com.au.

“The fact we aren’t talking about a dead candidate and former president today is not due to effective planning and proper security operations. In essence, it’s luck.”

Security expert Scott Taylor believes Donald Trump is alive due to luck, not security procedures. Picture: AFP

Multiple investigations are now underway as criticism of the Secret Service response grows – from both sides of the political spectrum.

The unsecured roof

Having trained with some of the world’s top specialists in the field, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s behaviour unit, Mr Taylor said he can’t understand why the manufacturing workshop wasn’t in the Secret Service’s “red zone”.

“A ‘red zone’ is the area surrounding the person you’re protecting that moves as they move, and is basically the space within which someone could get to them or have sight of them,” Mr Taylor explained.

“In this case, you’re talking about an elevated position with a clear view of the protectee just 120 metres away. That area should’ve been secured, 100 per cent.

“To put that distance into context, army recruits must be able to use a similar rifle to hit a human-sized target 150 metres away in order to progress through basic training.”

A map showing just how close the would-be assassin was able to get.

Crooks managed to fire off several rounds before being taken out, which is a serious cause for concern, he said.

“You’ve got to be able to secure the area by identifying vulnerable points, anticipating attack vectors, and then secure and monitor them. That didn’t happen here and that’s a major deficiency.”

Andrew McCabe, the former deputy director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, told CNN that the building was “clearly within shooting range” and should’ve been secured.

“Foundationally, one of the most basic elements of site security, especially a site that’s outside and largely uncontrolled, is [to] eliminate sight lines to the space where the protectee will be either speaking or just occupying,” Mr McCabe told the news outlet.

“When you look at that map, it so clearly points to those buildings that are within it, clearly within shooting range.”

Donald Trump was rushed from the stage and into a waiting car. Picture: Getty

How the would-be assassin managed to get so close to a protected person beggars belief, Mr Taylor said, especially considering several members of the public spotted him in the minutes before the attack.

Crowd spotted shooter

In the minutes before Crooks opened fire on Trump, several people in the crowd spotted him getting into position on the roof.

A witness told the BBC he saw the shooter, dressed in tan camouflage clothing and armed with a rifle, climb onto the building.

“We noticed a guy crawling … bear crawling up the roof of the building beside us,” the man said. “He had a rifle. You could clearly see him with a rifle. We’re pointing at him, the police are running around on the ground.”

Thomas Matthew Crooks, the would-be assassin. Picture: Supplied

Corey Comperatore, who was in the crowd, was killed. Picture: Facebook

The man said he tried to alert police several times to no avail and was shocked that the former president was allowed to continue speaking after a gunman had been sighted.

Murmurs began to spread through the crowd and vision of the event appears to show some law enforcement personnel moving around in an animated fashion.

Another witness told CBS News he also alerted a police officer that a man with a gun was on the roof but nothing was done.

“I get with these sort of incidents that there’s chaos, fear, confusion, every happening at the same time, and you get what we call saturated communications, which means everyone’s jumping on the radio,” Mr Taylor said.

“It seems like that happened here, when local police in the crowd were getting intel and likely tried to escalate that, crossing over to the Secret Service, who would’ve also escalated.

“That should not have taken minutes, like it did. It should’ve been seconds after people were literally pointing at a guy with a gun in full view until the threat was [neutralised].

“That’s a major failing. That will be a main focus of the investigation.”

There’s mounting criticism about the Secret Service response to the shooting. Picture: AFP

In addition to ground personnel, the security response should’ve included some common technological tools used in other scenarios, such as drones.

“There should’ve been monitoring of the crowd to take note of any notable changes in behaviour – people suddenly looking in the same direction, panic or confusion on faces, some kind of shift that indicates a possible risk,” he added.

Sniper’s slow response

Several snippets of vision shot at the rally moments before the assassination attempt appear to show two Secret Services agents on a roof behind the bleachers and the stage.

In them, a sniper’s gun looks to be pointed in the direction of the manufacturing workshop.

About nine seconds before the gunman fires at Trump, the two agents can be seen suddenly moving about, as the sniper looks into the scope of his gun.

He does not act for several more seconds.

The activity is enough to prompt one man in the audience to turn and look in the direction of the agents, while a number other members of the public, seated behind Trump, can be seen turning their attention towards the shooter’s position.

When the sniper eventually returns fire, his gun doesn’t move, indicating it may have been trained on the workshop the whole time.

The moments before Donald Trump was shot. Picture: Twitter

Members of the Secret Service sniper squad, codenamed Hercules, were armed with powerful long-range rifles and monitoring the area with high-spec binoculars.

Their role is to eliminate any threats so agents on the ground near the primary can remove them from harm’s way as quickly as possible.

Multiple probes begin

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is leading a multi-agency investigation into the shooting

Alejandro Mayorkas, the Homeland Security Secretary, said his department is working with the FBI to evaluate the Secret Service response.

The security of a prominent presidential candidate, especially one who’s a former president, is one of the department’s “most vital priorities”, Mr Mayorkas said in a statement.

Today, President Joe Biden said he has ordered an additional independent probe into security arrangements at the rally to “assess exactly what happened”.

The results of the investigation will be shared with the public, Mr Biden said.

President Joe Biden has ordered an independent investigation into the shooting. Picture: AFP

All former presidents receive Secret Service protection for the remainder of their lives after leaving office, while major candidates for president and vice president also receive security details.

Mr Biden said he has asked for Trump to be provided “with every resource, capability and protective measure necessary to ensure his continued safety”.

The Secret Service was also ordered to review all security arrangements for the Republican National Convention, a four-day event kicking off tomorrow where Trump will be officially endorsed as the party’s candidate.

Trump supporters held a prayer vigil in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Picture: Getty

Criticism of the apparent gaps in the former president’s protection are mounting.

New York Congressman Ritchie Torres slammed the evident “security failures” while supporting calls for a wide-ranging investigation.

“The federal government must constantly learn from security failures in order to avoid repeating them, especially when those failures have implications for the nation, Mr Torres, a Democrat, said.

Republican Congressman James Comer, a Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee, said politician violence “in all forms” was “un-American and unacceptable”.

“There are many questions and Americans demand answers,” Mr Comer said in a statement.