Trump feared US airman’s radio message was an Iranian trap: ‘Something like a Muslim would say’

WASHINGTON, DC: After a US Weapon System Officer was recovered in the Iranian mountains in the early hours of Sunday, April 5, following an overnight “daring” rescue operation, the US was concerned that a radio message from the airman was an Iranian trap.

The WSO had gone missing after Iran shot down an F-15E fighter jet on Thursday, April 3. Of the two crew members onboard, the pilot was recovered within hours of ejecting from the crippled aircraft, while the WSO remained unaccounted for.

Trump feared airman message was Iranian trap

In an interview with Axios, Donald Trump said US officials initially suspected the stranded airman’s message, used to help locate him, might have been a ploy by Iran to lure American forces into danger.

According to Trump, the WSO transmitted a message after ejecting, saying, “Power be to God.”

However, a US defense official told the outlet the exact wording was “God is good.” Trump noted that although the airman was known to be religious, the phrasing raised concerns.

“What he said on the radio sounded like something a Muslim would say,” Trump said on why the message concerned him.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also posted the phrase, “God is good,” on his X account. 

US mounts daring rescue mission in hostile Iran terrain

The missing airman was eventually recovered from the Iranian mountains in what officials described as a high-risk and complex rescue mission.

While operational details remain limited, dozens of US personnel, aircraft, helicopters, and the CIA were reportedly involved in the effort, which Trump called a “daring” operation.

Trump later announced the rescue of the “seriously wounded” airman in a post: "We have rescued the seriously wounded, and really brave, F-15 Crew Member/Officer, from deep inside the mountains of Iran."

US, Iran race to locate downed F-15 airman

Trump said the airman had taken shelter in a mountain crevice and was transmitting “beeping information” to indicate his location.

"It was not completely clear early on, but we stuck with it and verified he was alive and not captured. And those who knew him said he is religious," a defense official was quoted as saying.

He also claimed Iranian forces were simultaneously searching for the downed crew member.

“Thousands of these savages were hunting him down,” Trump said of the Iranian military. “Even the population was looking for him. They offered people a bonus if they captured him.”