Secret Service sniper wasn’t wearing a red string bracelet tied to Kabbalah Judaism

A photo circulating online purports to show a Secret Service agent at former President Donald Trump’s  July 13 rally in Pennsylvania wearing a red string bracelet tied to Kabbalah Judaisim. But the claim misses the mark. 

A July 14 Facebook post featured a photo of the Secret Service agent, taken after the assassination attempt at Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The user circled the wrist of the sniper, who is wearing a bracelet. 

"Also, what's with the red Kabbalah string on his hand?" the Facebook post stated. 

The post also described the red string’s role in Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism. "The red string in Kabbalah is often worn as a symbol of protection, luck, and as a reminder against negative influences," it said. "Historically, it's linked to Jewish folklore and religious practices, where it is sometimes tied around the wrist."

Some social media users took the photo as evidence the assassination attempt was tied to a broader conspiracy, perhaps linked to Judaism or Israel.

"Yep, things are not what they are telling us," one user commented.

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The Facebook post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.) 

The photo is authentic; an Associated Press photographer took it. But it’s not the sort of bracelet the Facebook post claims it is.

The zoomed-in AP image clearly shows the sniper wearing two bracelets on his left wrist: a black band with red letters and a black string with beads. Those bracelets don’t bear much resemblance to the red string Kabbalah followers wear. 

Kabbalah is a part of Jewish tradition that deals with the essence of God and is often tied to mystical thought. According to the Union for Reform Judaism, "Its practitioners tend to view the Creator and the Creation as a continuum, rather than as discrete entities, and they desire intimacy with God."

Red string bracelets are meant to ward off bad luck, but the tradition’s origins are murky, according to My Jewish Learning, a nonprofit organization that educates readers about Judaism. The bracelets are often sold to tourists visiting Jerusalem’s Western Wall and they’ve been spotted on celebrities including Madonna, Ashton Kutcher and Lindsay Lohan. 

But the Secret Service sniper at the Pennsylvania rally wasn’t wearing a red string bracelet. We rate the claim False.