An unpleasant event in the form of the assassination of Donald Trump caught me on my return from abroad. Even though we had a wrong signal at sea and minimal information, there was an interview with reporters from "Lidové noviny," in which I tried to comment on the first information about the incident objectively and to reveal the complex and complicated work of the security forces in protecting VIPs.
Here is its transcript:
Lidovky.cz: The shooter who hit Donald Trump was located about 120 meters from the election rally and on high ground. Is it a mistake made by the security forces, who probably did not have this place under control?
A distance of about 120 meters is a perimeter that the security forces should always have secured. During my active duty, we have always provided 300 to 400 meters, including elevated buildings. This means that no suspicious person should be within a distance of at least 300 meters. Communication between the individual units must be clear, and where each protector is located must be known. The security forces should act if an unidentified person has a weapon on that perimeter. However, this probably did not happen, and the security forces did not disrupt the shooter's plan.
Lidovky.cz: Some Trump supporters even alerted the police to the presence of the suspect. So, is this a big mistake?
How the information is transferred depends on the individual teams' communication about this threat. For example, whether they can see the suspect and whether they can shoot at him if security is threatened. When there was a suspicious movement on the roof near the rally, the bodyguards around Trump should have already reacted to something the security forces did not control. At the very least, the protector who was with him should come to him. I think that the forces should have acted faster, gotten the dangerous area under control, and checked it immediately; then, the shooting could have been prevented. In addition, security forces always position themselves to detect a suspect before the shooter takes an advantageous position to shoot, and it doesn't matter if it's on a roof, in an open space, or a big city. And it doesn't matter at what distance. Even if it is 250 meters away from the intended target, a transparent and bulletproof barrier can be stretched around the endangered person in case of danger.
Lidovky.cz: Is a distance of 120 meters enough to hit and kill a person?
Definitely. Of course, it depends on the type of caliber of the weapon, weather conditions, the situation on the spot, and the shooter's experience. However, 120 meters is a realistically good distance for even a not-particularly trained shooter to hit the silhouette of the figure. This means that it is a hazardous distance.
Lidovky.cz: Is there any way to say what length applies to the murderous distance?
It always depends on the environment. However, we kept 300 to 500 meters around the person. That's the optimal distance. Of course, it is necessary to monitor more distant targets and check distant, dangerous areas and the people moving in them.
Lidovky.cz: According to the available information, the attacker probably had an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle. Is its range sufficient for such a distance?
Yes. Of course, with the Bolt action system, the person in question would be more accurate, but on the other hand, with the AR-15, you have more rounds. If it was a distance of 300 meters or more, an experienced shooter would have hit with this weapon.
Lidovky.cz: Isn't there a need for at least more shooting experience, considering that the shooter was only 20 years old?
You don't need special training for such a distance. All you have to do is be able to adjust the optics and zero the gun correctly. You can get great quality weapons in the USA much easier than in the Czech Republic. In addition, sports and hunting shooting are prevalent there, so many local inhabitants know how to handle a rifle.
Lidovky.cz: Before the attacker was pacified, he allegedly managed to fire approximately five shots from the rifle. Isn't that enough?
Yes, for this type of weapon, it is enough at first glance, but at the same time, it is a very short time. There is a pause of about one to two seconds between individual shots. This means that five shots can be easily fired in ten seconds. Each of the protective security forces must have their perimeter under control. So when the person in question observes his section with binoculars, a shot is heard and he sees the perpetrator, he must act very quickly. He must crouch down to the gun, get into position, aim and fire. All this will take some time. So I think they were partially aware of the suspect but not fully in control of the sector. And that's because the pacification happened very quickly after the attack.
Lidovky.cz: If I have the task of supervising the safety of a person up to a distance of, for example, 300 meters, how many bodyguards do I need?
This again depends on the space. If it is open country, then four sniper teams are needed to make a bounded square. The positions of snipers and observers must be chosen in such a way that they can observe their surroundings and also aim and react effectively to danger, including eliminating the perpetrator with a precise shot. It must never happen that not a single sniper team has a view of a potential shooter.
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