ISIS Threatens Barron Trump?
In some media outlets, there have been rumors that President Donald Trump’s young son, Barron Trump, is the target of an alleged assassination plan. Let’s examine whether this story is true or just fake news.
Since Donald Trump is the President of the United States, he is obviously in the spotlight on a daily basis. Unfortunately, this comes with his family being in the public eye as well, which includes his 11-year-old son Barron.
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One one hand, it’s good that Americans and people around the world can get some insight into the president’s family; it creates somewhat of a personal relationship. On the other hand, the enemies of America could exploit this same personal information about the Trump family to cause harm. One group that could decide to do such a thing is ISIS (or an affiliated group).
Where Is the Barron Trump-ISIS Connection?
According to an article published by The Washington Free Beacon, there is a pro-ISIS group allegedly looking to assassinate the 11-year-old son of President Trump. The article refers to a report from the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a non-profit organization that provides translations of foreign language pieces. (Source: “ISIS Calls for Assassination of Barron Trump,” The Washington Free Beacon, November 21, 2017.)
Are these claims true? Well, let’s take a look at all the facts.
According to MEMRI, a post in a pro-ISIS Internet channel did call for the assassination of Barron Trump, but it did not outline any specific plan. The post did, however, include the name and address of Barron’s school, as well as a map showing the location. The post said, “Barron Trump goes to this school in Washington.” The initial post was also followed by a photo of Barron. (Source: Ibid.)
Several ISIS supporters reposted the information and images. It seems that the article in The Washington Free Beacon is assuming there will be an attack against Barron because of the postings. At this point, though, the rumors of an assassination plan against Barron can be considered fake news, since there are no hard facts.
Is This a Concern for Barron Trump?
To be honest, everything that has been posted by the pro-ISIS group is nothing to be very concerned about. Why?
Well, since Barron has been in front of a camera on various occasions, obtaining a photo of him is a very small task, with little effort required. In regards to the address of the school, it was already public record. Barron attends St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland, which is about a half-an-hour drive from the White House. (Source: “Barron Trump Starts School, Just 30 Minutes Away From His Dad and the White House,” Newsweek, September 6, 2017.)
Looking at the posts made by the ISIS supporters, it seems they are simply trying to scare President Trump. Everything that was mentioned in the posts was already publicly known or could have easily been found by using the Internet.
How Would the Secret Service/FBI View the Postings?
The Secret Service/FBI will take the postings seriously and investigate the ISIS supporters who shared the information. They will continue to monitor the situation and look out for any new possible threats against Barron Trump. If there are more serious stands taken by pro-ISIS groups, the Secret Service and the FBI will take more action.
Why Would a Pro-ISIS Group Post Information Already Known?
Looking at the posts made by the pro-ISIS group, it seems that it is trying to intimidate President Trump and his family. Everything that was mentioned in the posts was already publicly available information. The pro-ISIS group may feel that it is losing power in the world as more governments around the world fight against terrorism. The threatening posts may have been a move to instill fear into as many Americans as possible.
