U.S. President Donald Trump secretly switched to a smaller military aircraft while leaving Turkey last month because of an alleged assassination threat linked to Iran, according to a report by The Washington Post.
The newspaper, citing an anonymous U.S. official, said Trump initially boarded Air Force One in Ankara on July 8 before being quietly moved through a catering container to a smaller C-32A aircraft.
The report said the move was intended to conceal the president’s departure while many officials and members of the media believed he remained on the larger aircraft.
Trump had travelled to Ankara for a NATO summit and later flew to the United Kingdom.
The reported aircraft switch followed earlier media claims that security concerns linked to Iran influenced changes to the president’s travel plans.
Questions have also been raised about the security capabilities of the Boeing 747-8 aircraft donated to the United States by Qatar and recently added to the presidential fleet.
Responding to the report, the White House defended the aircraft’s security features.
“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,” Communications Director Steven Cheung said.
Cheung added, “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.”
The Washington Post said video footage appeared to show a catering vehicle moving between the two aircraft before Trump’s arrival in Britain, although it remained unclear how he later returned to the larger presidential jet.
