In the ongoing US 2024 Presidential election, the formal 45th president and currently running nominee of the Republican Party, Donald Trump became the target of an assassination attempt on July 13, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania during an open-air rally. With a bullet grazing Trump’s upper right ear, casualty of one individual and critical injury of two others, this incident has become the most prominent security breach in the Secret Service since the 1981 assassination of then president Ronald Reagan. The United States Secret Service is a federal law enforcement agency under the US Department of Homeland Security tasked with the protection of presidents, presidential candidates and respective family members and is considered as one of the most secure force for protection of these high-value individuals until they became a joke on July 13. Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year old man behind the assassination attempt climbed up the roof of an AGR International warehouse building and started firing at Trump at a distance of 130-140 m which was said to be ‘outside security perimeter’ by the SS. The perpetrator had bought a 16-inch barrel DPMS Panther Arms AR-15, chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO, made for the US civilian market and 50 rounds of ammunition. Crooks had a red-dot sight attached on the rifle and 10 minutes into Trump’s speech, started firing towards him. Eight fast follow up shots were fired by Crooks striking Trump’s ear and erupting chaos in the crowd. Six seconds later he was neutralized by the SS Counter Sniper team. During the shooting, blood came out of Trump’s ear immediately making indicating that he has been ‘positively hit’, Secret Service agents lunged towards Trump to shield him. After several seconds being shielded by the agents on stage, followed by the confirmation of the perpetrator neutralization, Trump rose to chant “Fight! Fight! Fight!” which led to the creation of one of the most prominent photographs of American presidential candidacy already, by Evan Vucci of Associated Press, while he was being escorted off the stage by the SS Agents.
The Event: Thomas Matthew Crooks purchases a ladder from a Home Depot in Bethel Park, then drives to the Butler Farm Show Grounds, staying just over an hour before returning to buy 50 rounds of ammunition from Allegheny Arms & Gun Works. After heading back to the rally site, he flies a drone for 11 minutes, filming the area behind his future firing position. A local law enforcement countersniper, finishing his shift at the AGR International warehouse, notices he has been spotted and alerts his team, suspecting their position has been compromised. Crooks is filmed twice outside the secured perimeter by a citizen, and police officers photograph him near the magnetometer weapon detectors, noting his suspicious behavior. Photos of him using a rangefinder are shared among Beaver County Emergency Services Unit members. Ed Lenz, the tactical commander of the Butler County mobile unit, informs a Pennsylvania State Police officer stationed about 300 yards from the rally about the suspicious individual, sending a photograph as well. The image is forwarded to Secret Service agents, who quickly alert their counter-sniper team and response agents. A report soon follows that the individual has disappeared from view. Just as Donald Trump prepares to take the stage, a Beaver County sniper spots Crooks walking into a dead-end between AGR buildings. Climbing onto a rooftop via an air-conditioning unit, he moves across a series of interconnected roofs while officers search the ground. A law enforcement officer radios, “Someone’s on the roof,” and several officers begin efforts to reach him. Bystanders report seeing a man with a rifle on the roof. A Butler Township officer attempts to climb up but is targeted, causing him to fall and seriously injure his ankle. The officer’s bodycam captures the moment, and he radios that the suspect is armed with a long gun. Lenz requests the deployment of the Butler County quick response force. The first of eight shots is fired into the rally venue as Trump speaks, causing him to pause and raise his hand to his ear. Two more shots follow, prompting Trump to drop behind the podium as Secret Service agents move in to protect him. Five additional shots are fired before a Butler County sniper returns fire, striking the suspect’s rifle and sending debris into his face, neck, and shoulder. The gunfire ceases briefly as Crooks repositions, but Secret Service countersnipers, now focused on his location, fatally shoot him. As Trump is surrounded by agents and escorted offstage, he pumps his fist, mouthing “Fight! Fight! Fight!” before being taken to Butler Memorial Hospital for evaluation. The main assassination attempt aside, the whole event including the prologue and aftermath screams either an inside job or a massive security fumble by the collective of Secret Service, law enforcement and other political entities of the United States. Here’s why:
A Nonsensical Comedic Security Breach
Secret Service has been always considered as one of the most secure forces globally in terms of protecting presidential people and does indeed have a history of very capable equipment and training procedures backed up by the US’ massive spending towards defence and law enforcement. But it immediately gets negated to a certain point when a 20 year old novice boy outsmarted an entire SS team and was actually able to make the Prez shed blood. A man with such a degree of protection yet 150m from the podium being considered out of perimeter for the SS is something what’s still baffling people. Theories have been springing up about why the SS took such a long time to detect and shoot him. According to ‘official chronology of the event, Crooks was apparently noticed earlier by local law enforcement and was ‘rushed’ which potentially led to an unfocused volley of shots from him. Assuming this was true, it would have been easy for the SR-25 wielding counter snipers to locate him open on the AGR building’s roof and eliminate him before the shootout ever took place. This once again contradicts the video proofs of numerous civilians where Crooks was seen prepping up his rifle before the shootout and no prompt response was him. After the shots were fired from Crook’s rifle, the SS agents surrounding Trump jumped on him to cover him which is a standard procedure. However this human cover went on for too long as they remained ducked in the podium. Trump and this SS shield should have been off the stage within seconds but this time it felt like an eternity as Trump regained balance, grabbed his shoes, let himself free for a moment and chanted the “Fight” scheme. While this was one of the moments which showed a relentless support from the public, this is a clear mishap from the side of standard operating procedures as the man would have been done in that moment while he was open screaming “fight..” had there been an unidentified second shooter. The records and security footage of Crooks mapping out the site with a drone is still a puzzle. Evidence showed up that Crooks had no prior adequate training in shooting and the complete setup of his having no body armour, a low end AR-15 with just a red dot etc. supports the fact. The entire incident poked new hole in the DEI initiatives of the Presidency and Secret Service and a few clips just strengthened their debate topic. Among the security detail couple of female agents were seen apparently panic stricken and even struggling to draw out her sidearm from holster. Also some of them were shorter than Trump himself which raised the question of how come agents are chosen who are not tall enough to shield the Prez. These bits of acts were put straight into hands of DEI failure as spread from the Republican communities. At the time of the shooting, Kimberly Cheatle was the Director of United States secret Service who was a part of SS from 1995 to 2019, became the Senior Director of Global Security at PepsiCo and returned as in this senior position. Secret Service faced massive backlash on why Cheatle was not fired immediately after this massive security breach and failure to abide by the SS’s purpose – one which she herself admitted in the court hearing days later. The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability held a hearing related to the accountability issues in chain of command, investigation updates and everything related to the event. She failed to answer basic questions on fact of denying additional security for Trump’s presidential campaign, why the SS failed to secure the rooftop in proximity to the rally site which had a clear view of Trump’s podium, the intelligence gathered by SS on the gunman, radio commands between the SS agents, resource utilization on site and showed zero accountability in the SS’s chain of command. With the verdict of committee members and lawmakers from both Republican and Democratic parties, the House announced a joint letter calling on Kim Cheatle to resign. After facing bipartisan calls for resignation on July 22, she officially resigned on the day after and since then Ronald L. Rowe Jr. is the acting Director of the United States Secret Service.
And it gets worse! 64 days into the Butler incident and Trump got in the crosshairs for a second assassination attempt. On September 15, 2024, former President Donald Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, survived an alleged assassination attempt while golfing at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Ryan Wesley Routh, a 58-year-old suspect, was spotted aiming a rifle at a Secret Service agent from a distance while hiding in nearby shrubbery. The agent fired at Routh, who fled but was later captured in Martin County. Routh has been charged with five federal crimes, including attempting to assassinate Trump, and pleaded not guilty. His trial is scheduled for November 18, 2024. Trump was golfing with his friend and donor, Steve Witkoff, when a Secret Service agent sweeping ahead of Trump on the course noticed the suspect at around 1:31 p.m. EDT. Routh had arrived 12 hours earlier and positioned himself in an area frequently used by paparazzi. Although Routh did not fire his weapon, the Secret Service agent fired after spotting a rifle barrel move. Trump was immediately escorted off the course, and the golf club went into lockdown. Routh fled in a black Nissan SUV but was apprehended by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. Upon arrest, authorities recovered an SKS-style rifle, a scope, two backpacks containing ceramic tiles, a GoPro camera, and food supplies. The FBI is leading the investigation, which is being treated as an attempted assassination. Routh’s motive was initially unclear, but a letter discovered after the incident revealed that he had planned the assassination attempt for months. The letter, addressed to “Dear World,” expressed Routh’s intent to assassinate Trump and offered $150,000 to anyone who could finish the job if he failed. The letter was given to law enforcement by a witness who had received it months earlier but only opened it after the incident. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has pledged to launch a state-level investigation into the shooting. For a country with almost as many guns as people live in there, this is a serious concern for any high profile individual and somehow also justifies that the insane military spending budget still comes with a fear of the more probable assassination attempts since US holds an insane percentage of civilian population who are extraordinarily well trained in firearms.
The Special Protection Group
The Special Protection Group (SPG) is the Indian Government agency created specifically for the protection of the Prime Minister of India. SPG will accompany the PM at all times be it home or abroad. Till 2019, SPG’s mandate was to be the security detail for the PM and his/her family (while he/she is serving office), after which it was reduced to serve only the active PM. SPG officers and commandos are continuously trained in physical efficiency, marksmanship, security beef-ups, threat assessment, intelligence gathering, character verification. It also acts has its own divisions similar to a corporate entity, dealing with human resources, finance, equipment procurement etc. and has operational divisions including Communications Wing, Technical Wing, Transport wing etc. SPG doesn’t recruit directly from public unlike some divisions of the armed forces. Recruits are drawn from enlisted ranks of Central Armed Police Force (CRPF), Railway Protection Force (RPF) etc. where they are severely screened through physical and psychological assessments. Officers of the SPG for acting upon leadership and coordination are drawn from Indian Police Service (IPS). SPG personnel are exempt from security checks from official buildings, airports etc. and have complete freedom of jurisdiction in airport areas from Airports Authority of India. The Special Protection Group employs around 3000 active personnel and was allocated Rs. 506.32 crores in the FYI2024-25 Budget. After their selection, they undergo a rigorous physical probation and the Vienna Test, which evaluates their psychological aptitude, reaction times, intelligence, and overall suitability for the role. This probation is designed to build their professionalism and ensure the quality of their service. Additionally, SPG operatives are chosen based on a thorough background check, specifically selected from their cadre based on their history. A remarkable sense of trust exists between the Prime Minister and SPG operatives, with both parties holding a strong sense of mutual responsibility. This bond of trust persists even after the Prime Minister’s retirement, as seen during the emotional farewell of the SPG personnel who served under Atal Bihari Vajpayee during his demise. The unwavering dedication to their duty and the protection of the Prime Minister is what drives SPG operatives. Since SPG personnel are chosen from serving government officials, it is highly unlikely for them to be compromised due to personal ideology. This contrasts with the case of Indira Gandhi’s bodyguards, who turned against her following Operation Bluestar, when their religious sensibilities overpowered their duty and led to her assassination. Such a scenario is unlikely today, given the professionalism and commitment that SPG operatives demonstrate. Since its formation, the SPG has maintained its integrity and has not been involved in any rogue activities, showcasing its commitment to the mission. Dressed in their signature safari suits with communication devices and sunglasses, SPG operatives form the Prime Minister’s inner security cordon, constantly vigilant for any potential threats. Under their watchful eye, there has not been a successful fatal attack on the Prime Minister or their convoy, underscoring the organization’s high level of professionalism. Additionally, the SPG perimeter is reinforced by Counter Assault Team (CAT) members and SPG snipers. These personnel, equipped in combat gear, are responsible for engaging and drawing enemy fire should an attack be launched against the Prime Minister or their convoy. When traveling on Air India One, the aircraft designated for the Prime Minister or President and operated by the Indian Air Force’s Air Headquarters Communication Squadron, SPG oversees the security of the Prime Minister. The aircraft is equipped with an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to prevent hacking and to identify any suspicious patterns indicating an attempt to compromise the system. On the ground, a vast network of CCTV cameras and other assets provides additional layers of security for the Prime Minister, monitoring any potential threats. Snipers are strategically deployed as soon as preparations for the Prime Minister’s arrival begin, ensuring that the security arrangements are airtight and as effective as possible. This comprehensive approach ensures that the Prime Minister’s security remains foolproof.
So how safe is a Prime Minister with protection from SPGs?
India’s Special Protection Group may not have an 8000 strong personnel force with a $3 billion budget like the United States Secret Service but someone would be dead wrong if he/she starts comparing SPG and SS by seeing the fancy SR-25s and protected Beasts. While it’s true that SS has got a bigger inventory of weapons and ammunitions due to the bigger budget, but you have to also keep in mind that mandate of the Secret Service is too much diversified. SS’s mandate includes protection of the President, the Vice President, Prez and VP-elects in buffer time, immediate families of the previously mentioned individuals, children of former presidents till until age 16, Presidential and VP nominees, and is also incharge in specifics National Security Events as specified and designated by the US Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The SPG being solely focused on being the protection detail of the active Indian PM makes it utilize the complete resources allocation. There comes no questions regarding personnel division and all of the procurement board makes decisions solely for the protective detail and subsequent upgradation for PM.
SPG has some truly great combat equipment. Each weapon in the force are historically placed in the upper echelon of battle-tested performance, and apparently the Special Protection Group might be a fan of Belgium’s FN Herstal, no pun intended. The personnel are issued with the all-round go-to-sidearm Austrain origin Glock 17s and Glock 19s, along with FN Herstal Five-Seven. The 9×19 Parabellum chambered short-recoil operated Glocks have been always considered as a weapon featuring both abundance in being standard-issue without having quality-control problems. Amid the extremely diverse weapons portfolio of weapons in Indian military arsenal, the FN Five-Seven is issued only to the SPG. This pistol features ambidextrous safety and mag release to make it suitable for both right-handed and left-handed shooters. It uses the FN proprietary 5.7x28mm rounds and is chosen by many special forces, PMCs and protection details worldwide especially due to the flat shooting trajectory and a 20-round magazine with very low-felt recoil. This FN ammo is known for its armour penetration capability considering it is meant for sidearm. Even the Secret Service issues this pistol as their primary sidearm. The indigenously developed Joint Venture Protective Carbine (JVPC)/Modern Sub Machine Carbine (MSMC) chambered in the OFB-made 5.56x30mm MINSAS has been selected to be added in the SMG loadout for the Secret Service (has cleared trials and is yet to bag an order). Till now, the SPG standard-issue SMG is the immediately recognizable P90, again manufactured by FN. The P90 is a compact bullpup submachine-gun chambered in the 5.7x28mm ammunition which comes with the armour penetrating properties of 5-7 ammo, has a longer barrel than conventional SMGs and has a uniquely made horizontally slotted 50-round box magazine, featuring 850-1100 rounds per minute. The P90 has an effective firing range of 200m and comes with an integrated reflex sight and ambidextrous controls. Both Secret Service and SPG use the P90 as the standard-issue SMG but the latter doesn’t employ any attachments.
The assault rifles loadout of SPGs are once again taken up by FN Herstal with their F2000s and SCAR-Hs. The F2000 is a compact bullpup assault rifle chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO rounds. It has a 16-inch chromed lined forged barrel with a superior barrel life of upto 20000 non-sustained rounds. It has an effective firing range of 500m and a rate of fire of 850 rounds per minute. SPGs use them attached with holographic sights or Trijicon 4x ACOGs coupled with tactical lasers or underbarrel M203 grenade launchers. For the bigger hitters, they use the anywhere recognizable SCAR-H, once again made by FN Herstal. It is a gas-operated short-stroke piston driven weapon which fires the 7.62x51mm NATO rounds and works. With an effective firing range of 650m, this gun serves both as a battle rifle and a DMR, as the SPGs use them attached with Trijicon AOCGs and magnifiers, rangefinders/PEQs and vertical foregrips/underbarrel bipods depending upon role. There’ no fixed sniper loadouts as SAKO TRG-42s and PSG-1s fill in their role as suitable for the operator while the Barrett M82s fill in for the anti-material roles.
SPG as an organization gets a far less budget allocation than Secret Service but they are darn good at the training and equipment standards. The tech and weapons what SPG use are also used globally by various special forces and counter terrorism units. By their mandate, the U.S. Secret Service is authorized to protect the president, vice president, president-elect, vice president-elect, and their immediate families. They also provide protection to former presidents and their spouses, unless remarried, and to their children until age 16. Foreign heads of state and dignitaries visiting the U.S., major presidential and vice-presidential candidates within 120 days of an election, and others designated by the president’s executive order are also protected. Additionally, the Secret Service secures National Special Security Events designated by the Secretary of Homeland Security. SPG on the other hand is only meant to protect the active PM. This makes the entire force’s planning more efficient as the body can employ the full workforce for protection detail and strategy. Questions about workforce percentage division among the should-be-protected individuals won’t be arise and the unit won’t be vulnerable to conflicts of interest. If breaches occur, the SPG as a whole will be accountable starting from the leading management. American PMs move around in armoured Beasts and Air Force Ones while Indian PMs move around in armoured Mercedes Maybach S650/Range Rovers and Air India Ones – there comes no question in privileges and facilitation from the protection detail. Each of the body is entitled to their own mandate and orders but the priority is same – protect the Prez/PM etc. alive. The main concern comes down to a more ground level and USA has bigger fishes to worry than SPG. Indian PMs cater to a much bigger population than India and certainly go out in the public a lot more. The presidential campaigns are bigger and so are the crowds. More the crowds, more the chances of assassination but it doesn’t shake up the basics. The last time Indian PM security detail faced crisis was between 1985-1991 when Rajiv Gandhi was in office, and even in that time, guns were one of the least of worries for an investigation. 30 years later, India is a known name in military statistics and there has been multifold upgrades in terms of intelligence, threat detection, weapons, training etc. Rally sites go through thorough checking to deter every threat. India barely has any gun problem compared to USA. At a point where 150m is considered beyond security perimeter for the SS, India holds presidential rallies with grounds alone having 200m+ distance. A random individual prepping up a sniper far away from the bigger rally grounds will be an extremely rare sight let alone weapons training. India’s assassination attempts have historically relied on bombs where the perpetrator gets close to the PMvto detonate it or just stab him/her by getting close similarly. And the SPG commandos with the briefcases that can open up as a shield giving NIJ Level III ballistic protection, is sure as hell a good protection strategy. In the name of self-defence, US civilians indeed have a fancy for gun collection which makes it a more threat for any Prez to be in crosshairs of a person, unstable enough to kill a person due to misalignment of political ideologies.
