Recognizing the Warning Signs: How Security Teams Can Detect and Disrupt Assassination Attempts

Introduction: Why This Matters Now

Assassination attempt prevention matters because high-profile attempts in the U.S. are occurring with disturbing regularity—not only against presidents or heads of state. The purpose of this article is to help security personnel and in-house teams identify potential killers before they strike.

Potential attackers often live otherwise “normal” lives. They work in healthcare, shop in local stores, attend schools, visit casinos and malls, use social media, and move through residential communities. To the untrained eye, they may blend in completely. For the trained security professional, however, there are behavioral cues and patterns that can help distinguish an ordinary person from someone escalating toward violence.

Recent Cases Underscore the Risk

Just in the last two years (2024–2025), the nation has witnessed multiple targeted killings or near-misses:

• Charlie Kirk was killed in Utah (2025) by a 22-year-old assailant with a rifle.
• Two Israeli Embassy staffers were murdered outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. (2025) by a shooter with antisemitic motives.
• Minnesota legislators Melissa and Mark Hortman were killed, and Sen. John Hoffman and his wife wounded, in a politically motivated attack (2025).
• Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence was set on fire in an attempted assassination (2025).
• Donald Trump survived two separate attempts within months—one at a rally in Pennsylvania and another at his golf course in Florida (2024).
• Judge Kevin Mullins (Kentucky, 2024) was murdered inside a courthouse; Judge Mary Kay Holthus (Nevada, 2024) narrowly survived an attack in her courtroom.
• Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was assassinated in Midtown Manhattan (2024), highlighting that corporate leaders are also high-value targets.
• Federal ICE officers were ambushed in Texas (2025).
• A police officer was killed near CDC headquarters in Georgia (2025).

These are not isolated anomalies. They illustrate a reality: politicians, judges, diplomats, corporate leaders, healthcare executives, property managers, and even private-sector security staff are potential targets.

Common Traits Among Attackers

Understanding what unites these perpetrators is critical. Security professionals who recognize these patterns can disrupt attacks before lives are lost.

• Demographics: Predominantly male, often 20–40 years old. Example: Charlie Kirk’s killer was just 22; the Trump rally shooter was 20. This age group has repeatedly surfaced as high-risk.
• Grievance-Driven: Motives often tied to political extremism, anti-government rage, antisemitism, or personal vendettas. The Minnesota shooter targeted Democratic lawmakers; the D.C. attacker targeted Israelis.
• Pre-Attack Behaviors: Most telegraphed intent. The Trump rally shooter had a social media trail of anti-Trump rhetoric. Others conducted surveillance or left behind manifestos.
• Weapon Access: Nearly all relied on firearms, but others used arson (Governor Shapiro’s attacker) or direct physical violence (Judge Holthus’s courtroom assault).
• Psychological Indicators: Several displayed delusional thinking, radicalization, or mental health struggles. For example, Ryan Wesley Routh, arrested near Trump’s golf course, was described by evaluators as “delusional.”

👉 Takeaway for teams: These traits are rarely hidden. They are observable when staff, community members, and security personnel are trained to recognize them.

Red Flags Security Teams Should Watch For

– Whether you are managing a casino floor, healthcare facility, residential community, shopping mall, or corporate headquarters, these behaviors should trigger closer scrutiny:

– Online Expressions of Grievance: Violent posts targeting individuals, institutions, religions, or ethnic groups.

– Reconnaissance Activity: Repeated site visits, photographing entrances/exits, asking unusual questions about security, or “testing” staff responses.

– Escalating Behavior: A sudden increase in agitation, confrontational interactions, or obsessive focus on a leader/organization.

– Weapon Preoccupation: Talking about, displaying, or attempting to bring weapons onto property.

– Isolation and Radicalization: Withdrawal from normal routines, coupled with immersion in extremist rhetoric or conspiracy theories.

– Direct or Leaked Threats: Emails, calls, letters, or social posts promising violence—even if vague or boastful.

Action Steps for Security Leaders

To move from awareness to action, firms and in-house teams should:

1. Establish Threat Intake Channels – anonymous reporting, tip lines, and staff training on what to report.
2. Form Threat Assessment Teams – combine security, HR, management, and law enforcement liaison.
3. Train on Behavioral Indicators – give guards and staff specific checklists for spotting pre-attack cues.
4. Coordinate with Law Enforcement – maintain open communication with local police, FBI, or fusion centers.
5. Practice Active-Assailant Drills – include evacuation, lockdown, and medical response (“Stop the Bleed”) in regular training.

Why This Matters to Every Security Professional

Assassination attempts aren’t only about presidents or high-profile activists. They affect judges, legislators, corporate executives, healthcare leaders, and even frontline officers. Every security team is on the front line of prevention.

By learning the warning signs and implementing threat assessment and assassination attempt prevention frameworks, security professionals can help identify potential attackers before they act—and protect the people, properties, and communities they serve. Building repeatable **assassination attempt prevention** processes helps teams act on early indicators and stop violence before it starts.

GuardMetrics security guard management software helps security firms and in-house teams streamline guard tracking, incident reporting, and accountability. More importantly, it supports your mission: keeping people safe in a world where threats are increasingly unpredictable, yet increasingly preventable.