US President Donald Trump was secretly flown out of Turkey on a military aircraft after last month’s NATO summit due to an Iranian assassination threat, according to reports.
The Washington Post said Trump boarded the older Air Force One in full view of cameras in Ankara, then was quietly transferred minutes later via an airport catering truck to a smaller Air Force C-32A plane.
Journalists and some White House staff travelling with him believed he remained on Air Force One, which served as a decoy, the newspaper reported, citing a US official familiar with the operation and other material.
The C-32A flew Trump to RAF Mildenhall in Britain. He was then moved back onto the older Air Force One to disembark publicly before boarding a newer Qatar-donated jet for the final leg to Washington.
The operation was prompted by a credible Iranian threat against the president while he was in Turkey, which borders Iran. Top officials, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were involved in the plan.
When later asked about threats, Trump told reporters: “Well, I have a threat all the time. I’m number one on their list.”
The New York Times and other outlets corroborated elements of the account. The White House has not publicly detailed the full sequence of the departure.
