Trump secretly flew out of Turkey on smaller aircraft amid Iran assassination threat: Report
WASHINGTON, DC: Last month, President Trump slipped out of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, using a different military plane while the White House let reporters, and even some of his staff, think he was on Air Force One.
The Washington Post broke the story, pointing to a credible Iranian threat against him as the reason for all the secrecy. A US official with knowledge of the situation, along with other sources, backed up these details.
How did the decoy operation work?
Trump had taken the newly renovated Qatari-donated jet to Ankara for the NATO summit, but he unexpectedly used an older Air Force One when departing the country, a move that prompted questions about the newer plane's security.
Trump stepped onto the old Air Force One in Ankara, right in front of the cameras. But behind the scenes, the story played out differently.
The Washington Post reported that just minutes after boarding, Trump slipped onto a smaller Air Force C-32A, hidden from view, by climbing through an airport catering truck, usually used for loading food. Meanwhile, the old plane took off for Britain, serving as a decoy.
Some journalists and even a few White House staff thought they were flying with the president and were told to keep their window shades down.
No one really knows how Trump switched back to the original Air Force One after it landed in Mildenhall.
But the press traveling with him saw him walk down its stairs just before 11 pm local time, greet service members, and then board the new Qatari-donated jet for the last leg home.
This wasn’t new, either. President Bill Clinton pulled off a similar decoy maneuver during a 2000 trip to Pakistan.
Questions over new jet's security
When asked later by reporters why they had to keep their shades shut during the flight, Trump said it was because they were "probably on a dangerous flight." He went on to say: “But if I go, you go. Right?"
The C-32A carrying Trump flew to Britain and arrived at around 10:20 pm, while the older Air Force One and media, arriving minutes later, the Post reported. It was not clear, the paper said, how Trump was moved from the C-32A back to the older Air Force One.
When asked for comment on the revelation of a secret flight on a third plane, the White House provided a statement from Communications Director Steve Cheung saying the Qatari-donated jet has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the president and his staff.
"As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats," Cheung said. It was the same statement provided to the Post.
Before departing Ankara, Trump said on Truth Social that he would use an older baby blue Air Force One plane "for old time's sake" to RAF Mildenhall in Britain while the new plane stopped at the same base so US service members stationed there could tour the aircraft.
This move just adds to the spotlight already on the Qatari-gifted plane.
People were raising eyebrows about its quick security upgrades and price tag even before this trip.
Both The New York Times and CBS News reported that intelligence officials warned about a possible attack aimed at Trump or the new jet.
Those warnings pushed officials to ramp up security for the NATO trip, which happened at the same time the US stepped up military strikes on Iran.
