GOP frontrunner Donald Trump is linking the man who tried to rush to the stage at his campaign rally in Vandalia Ohio on Saturday morning, to the terrorist group ISIS.
According to reports, Thomas Dimassimo of Fairborn Ohio, jumped over a guardrail and rushed to the stage where the Republican candidate was delivering his speech during Trump’s rally in Dayton, Ohio. Secret service agents immediately tackled the Ohio protester and took him into custody. He was charged with inducing panic and disorderly conduct.
Watch the response as a protester tries to rush the stage at @realDonaldTrump rally in Ohio. https://t.co/rK43HD2J4dhttps://t.co/58ovw6uZm3
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) March 12, 2016
After the incident in Vandalia Ohio, Trump’s sources allegedly found the man to be involved with ISIS. “It was probably ISIS or ISIS-related. Do you believe it?” Trump asked his supporters during his rally in St. Louis. The presidential hopeful said that his team found a video where “the guy is playing all sorts of, let’s say, music that you wouldn’t be liking, dragging an American flag along the sidewalk, making all sorts of gestures, having all sorts of things on the Internet. And he’s probably or possibly ISIS-related.”
USSS did an excellent job stopping the maniac running to the stage. He has ties to ISIS. Should be in jail! https://t.co/tkzbHg7wyD?ssr=true
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2016
Trump tweeted a video, which shows Dimassimo, 22, and other protesters dragging the U.S. flag , declaring “Black Lives Matter” while religious music played on the background. However, the video Trump tweeted was reportedly an edited version of a video Dimassimo uploaded in YouTube in April 2015. The video was taken from a #NotMyFlag demonstration at Wright State University supporting Eric Sheppard, who was arrested last year for walking on the U.S flag.
#EXCLUSIVE @CNN speaks to Ohio stage-rusher at #Trump rally on Saturday https://t.co/NOToZVjAej
— Haley Draznin (@haleydraz) March 13, 2016
The original version does not include the ISIS flag and no religious music was playing in the background. Nada Bakos, a former CIA confirmed the video was “dubbed over.”
“Overlaying Arabic music does not make a terrorist video,” Bakos added.
When asked if he was aware that the Vandalia Ohio video was doctored on NBC’s Meet the Press,Trump said: “What do I know about it? All I know is what’s on the Internet.”