DENVER — When the Democratic National Convention was held in Denver in 2008, a plot to assassinate then-Sen. Barack Obama came to light.
As the U.S. Attorney in Colorado at the time, Troy Eid led the investigation into the plot, which never unfolded.
"I got to be a part of some of the interrogations that went on for some of the suspects," Eid said. "They went on for many, many hours on end. You have to make sure that you leave no stone unturned."
He expects there could be hundreds, if not thousands, of interviews conducted by federal agents after the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania Saturday.
Investigators will work to determine if the shooter acted alone, how many bullets were fired, how many firearms there may have been and if the shooter had any form of assistance in the plan. The investigation could take months.
"There is a certain risk that our public officials face and that public people face," Eid said. "That’s part of why we need to be smarter as a society. We need to think more about how do we identify more about threats earlier in people’s lives and try to get them help and protect the rest of society."
What makes this assassination plot so different is the Democratic National Convention, according to Eid, has much more surveillance and intelligence surrounding security than a campaign rally does.
"It's really hard to protect these candidates, to protect public officials in these settings," Eid said.
"This is a fascinating investigation as it unfolds, because I think this is the merger perhaps of school shootings as we have come to understand them," Eid said. "I am fascinated by this because we have done a better, but still a very poor job at dealing with school shooters and dealing with young people who are alienated. We can’t seem to figure out their violence."