‘Where and how should we kill Barron Trump?’: Iranian TV video triggers US Secret Service probe
“The US Secret Service is aware of the video and investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees,” Secret Service spokesman Nate Herring said in a statement.
The US Secret Service has confirmed it is aware of a video aired by Iranian state media that appears to threaten the life of Barron Trump, the youngest son of US President Donald Trump.
“The US Secret Service is aware of the video and investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees,” Secret Service spokesman Nate Herring said in a statement.
Herring added that the agency would not provide further details, citing operational security.
Iranian video claims to track Barron Trump
The footage, broadcast by Iranian state television and reportedly produced by media affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), purports to track the movements of Barron Trump, 20.
The video, titled “Where and how should we kill Barron Trump?”, allegedly identifies the location of his university, his escort vehicles and positions associated with his Secret Service protection.
The programme claimed that Barron's movements had been “fully monitored” and alleged that a $10 million bounty had been placed on him. The bounty claim could not be independently verified.
The video also alleged that a woman had managed to get past Barron's security detail, met him privately and passed information about him to the programme's producers.
The authenticity and accuracy of the information presented in the broadcast have not been independently established.
US Secret Service investigating reported threat
The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting the president and members of the first family, did not provide details about any security measures being taken in response to the video.
The agency's confirmation that it is aware of the footage comes as tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high.
Iranian state media has previously aired threats against President Trump. In July, a billboard displayed in Tehran's Islamic Revolution Square depicted Trump apparently lying dead in a coffin alongside the words “We will kill Trump” in English.
Why Iran has threatened Trump
Threats against Trump have been linked in part to the US killing of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force, in a US drone strike near Baghdad airport in January 2020.
Trump authorised the strike during his first presidency. Iranian officials subsequently vowed retaliation and have repeatedly renewed threats against those responsible.
The tensions have intensified further following the reported death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes on February 28, which marked the beginning of the ongoing war, according to the information provided.
Trump has previously warned that any attempt to assassinate him would provoke a devastating US response. In January, he said Iran would face severe consequences if such an attempt were made and claimed he had issued orders for the US to respond with overwhelming force.