According to a senior official, a new missive has been sent to various forces, including the CISF, NSG, CRPF and others involved in dignitary protection, with a central Intelligence agency recommending avoiding “off-record or unplanned movements”
The second assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump has come as a lesson for India’s security agencies who have been alerted about the latest changes aimed to protect dignitaries.
According to a senior official, a new missive has been sent to various forces, including the CISF, NSG, CRPF and others involved in dignitary protection, with a central Intelligence agency recommending avoiding “off-record or unplanned movements”.
After the latest attempt on Trump this month, it was reported that he had made an unplanned visit to a golf course. In a press conference, acting director of the US Secret Service, Ronald Rowe Jr, said: “The President wasn’t even really supposed to go there. It was not on his official schedule.”
Taking a cue from the incident, an Indian official familiar with the developments said: “Avoid unplanned, unscheduled movements of protectees and adhere only to planned and scheduled movements until necessary. Coordinate with local police for any assistance.”
The official, quoting the letter, added: “International assassination incidents underline the vulnerabilities of high-risk dignitaries to various threats during public interactions, including rallies, corner meetings, and roadshows. There should be a focus on physical security measures, technical surveillance, and contingency drills, as well as on the role of the personal security officer.”
Sources within the security framework also indicated that the agency responsible for protecting Trump did not sanitise the area of his visit (the golf course). Instructions have now been given to sanitise areas where protectees move, especially for those with advanced security liaison.
The Secret Service responsible for Trump’s security reportedly did not search the perimeter of the golf course, where the suspect roamed for around 12 hours with a plan to kill him.
All forces concerned have been instructed to allow only a limited crowd in close proximity and to ensure there are sufficient, alert security personnel. Locations where dignitaries are scheduled to visit must undergo comprehensive physical, visual, and technical checks, followed by the deployment of security personnel.
Officials also noted that besides attempts on Trump’s life, other assassination attempts on high-profile dignitaries have been mentioned in the documents, including an attempt on former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and former vice-president of Argentina, Christina Fernandez. In Khan’s case, he was fired upon on November 3, 2022, and suffered a bullet injury. Fernandez escaped an assassination bid on September 1, 2022, when a man unsuccessfully tried to fire a loaded pistol close to her head while she was surrounded by her supporters outside her house in Buenos Aires.
“During an election campaigning speech of former PM of Japan, Fumio Kishida, at fishing port Saikazaki Wakayama on April 15, 2023, a man from the crowd hurled a smoke bomb towards him. Fernando Villavicencio, one of the candidates for the presidency of Ecuador, was shot dead on August 9 last year in Quito as he rode a police pickup vehicle after holding a public rally. The assailant climbed the vehicle from the opposite site and shot him through the window. Slovak PM Robert Fico suffered life-threatening injuries when he was shot in an attempted assassination on May 15 this year during a public event in the central town of Handlova,” the official said.
