Trump secretly switched planes in Turkey over Iranian threat

US President Donald Trump’s trip from Turkey last month involved an elaborate ruse to evade a potential Iranian assassination threat.

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Mr Trump, on his trip from Turkey, secretly swapped planes, switching from Air Force One, which the White House said he was aboard, to an alternate military aircraft.

The Washington Post reports that the US president was secretly transferred to a military aircraft with a catering truck after he boarded Air Force One.

PREMIUM TIMES reported the NATO summit in July, where he lashed out at Spain for declining the request to allow the US to use the joint military bases on its territory for operations against Iran.

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This clandestine manoeuvre to change aircraft was attributed to the potential threat of an Iranian attack on the US leader.

Mr Trump’s trip from Ankara also came a day after the US began its 13-day military strikes on Iran.

He had earlier said he was Iran’s “number one target” during the summit in Ankara.

This paper reports that Iran’s supreme leader has also previously vowed revenge for the elimination of his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, who was killed by a US-Israeli joint strike in February.

Mr Trump had arrived in Turkey in a Boeing 747-8 jumbo jet donated by Qatar last year.

Hours before his departure on 8 July, Mr Trump announced he would leave Ankara aboard the old Air Force One rather than the new jet he had taken to the NATO summit.

Mr Trump said he was switching planes “for old time’s sake,” and that American forces stationed at a UK refuelling stop would be able to check out the new plane.

Footage captured by the press showed the president walking into the old Air Force One. CBS News reported that the footage also showed a catering truck visible on the other side of the jet.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also boarded the smaller military aircraft using external stairs to make the trip appear normal.

However, several minutes later, the truck pulled away and drove off to another US government plane, which the Washington Post reported was an Air Force C-32A.

The Post reported that Mr Trump then flew from Ankara to a refuelling stop in the United Kingdom on that military aircraft, unbeknownst to the journalists and White House officials who were travelling with him and were aboard Air Force One.

The BBC reports that the officials and press members believed they were on board the same aircraft as the president.

The New York Times and CBS News previously reported that intelligence officials flagged a specific threat of an attack on the president or his jet, which triggered additional precautions.

READ ALSO: Trump cancels planned attack on Iran, gives reasons

The journalists and some White House staff aboard Air Force One were told to keep their window shades shut. It was an unusual request.

Meanwhile, the security of the Qatar-provided aircraft has been called into question.

The US spent months retrofitting the $400 million Boeing 747-8 to prepare it for the president, according to the BBC.

In a statement to CBS News, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “The new Air Force One is perfectly safe for the president’s travels, but will receive additional upgrades and enhancements in the fall, which will take approximately one month to complete.”