Washington, Aug 11: US President Donald Trump, who went to Turkey to attend a NATO meeting last month, escaped through a secret operation in the wake of the Iranian threat, according to media reports.
Trump was secretly taken out of Turkey in a small plane instead of a regular Air Force One flight due to a serious assassination threat from Iran, according to The Washington Post.
NATO Summit and the Iranian Threat
After attending the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey in July, the US Secret Service received credible intelligence that Trump’s plane could be targeted by a missile attack or assassination attempt by Iran and its proxies.
In front of cameras and journalists, Trump boarded the old Air Force One. But within minutes of taking off, Trump was secretly transferred to another small fighter jet, the Air Force C-32A, via an airport catering truck that delivers food to the back of the plane.
The operation was carried out in great secrecy
Media representatives and many White House staff believed that Trump was traveling on Air Force One. Journalists were instructed to close the window shades of the plane during the journey. No one saw Trump being transferred to the catering truck.
New plane donated by Qatar lacks high security
Trump arrived in Ankara (a city in Turkey) on a new Boeing 747-8 aircraft donated by the government of Qatar. However, the new Boeing aircraft did not have the anti-missile and laser technology features of the old Air Force One. Therefore, it was said that it was decided to use the old Air Force One to leave Turkey.
Interestingly, Trump, who boarded Air Force One with journalists in Turkey, was secretly transferred to a smaller plane without anyone knowing. When the planes reached Britain, Trump was again seen on Air Force One. It is not known how he was brought back to the old plane