Iran Assassination Threat Prompted Trump To Secretly Leave Turkey Via Catering Truck

U.S. President Donald Trump secretly left Turkey after a NATO summit in Ankara last month, with a reported operation in which he was moved between aircraft via an airport catering truck rather than remaining on the Air Force One that journalists and some White House staff believed he was using.

“Trump took a secret military flight from Turkey last month”

Reuters

The Washington Post reported that the ruse was prompted by an Iranian assassination threat, and Reuters said the deception was triggered by an Iranian assassination threat against Trump.

Antena 3 Noticias

Reuters reported that the White House said Trump was flying aboard Air Force One from Turkey to Britain, but moments after he boarded, he left it in secret via the catering truck and boarded another aircraft for the flight to Britain.

The operation involved Trump taking a newly renovated Qatari-donated jet to Ankara for the NATO summit, then unexpectedly announcing he would use an older baby blue Air Force One plane “for old time’s sake” to RAF Mildenhall in Britain.

Reuters also said the C-32A carrying Trump flew to Britain and arrived at around 10:20 p.m., while the older Air Force One and media arrived minutes later.

Multiple outlets described how the deception kept Trump’s actual location concealed from journalists and some White House staff, with the New York Times saying Trump was whisked off that plane via a catering container lifted to the opposite side of the aircraft.

The New York Times reported that Trump told reporters at the time that he was making the switch for “old time’s sake,” and it said he was then taken to a third plane that he flew in secret to Britain.

AP News

CBS News reported that reporters on Air Force One were told to keep the window shades in the press cabin closed, and it quoted Trump later saying it was because they were “probably on a dangerous flight because of the sleazebags that we have to deal with.”

White House communications director Steven Cheung defended the security of the Qatari-donated jet in a statement, saying, “The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff.”

The reports tied the plane swap to a broader security posture during the U.S.-Iran conflict, with the Washington Post saying the operation occurred a night after U.S. forces renewed military strikes on Iran at Trump’s direction following a breakdown of negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

“The operation occurred a night after U.S. forces renewed military strikes on Iran”

The Washington Post

The New York Times said the deception involved top administration officials transporting Trump in a catering container to a military jet because of a threat against him and Air Force One from Iran, and it described reporters on the older plane as unknowing decoys.

CBS News reported that the Secret Service declined to comment and that the Air Force referred questions to the White House, while it also said the administration has never publicly disclosed that the press and some staff were flying on a decoy plane.

The Guardian reported that Trump’s secret departure added scrutiny to the Qatar-gifted aircraft, and it said the trip was the first international travel for the new plane whose speedy upgrades triggered questions over its cost and security.

The Washington Post said the maneuver meant Trump’s actual location was concealed from the American public and many senior U.S. officials for hours, and it reported that weeks later it remains unclear how widely the administration has disclosed the operation.