WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump secretly took a military flight from Turkey last month after being moved between aircraft in a catering truck as part of a security operation prompted by an Iranian assassination threat, the Washington Post reported.
Trump had attended a NATO summit in Ankara and publicly boarded an older Air Force One aircraft bound for Britain. Shortly afterward, he was secretly transferred to an Air Force C-32A, according to the Post, which cited a U.S. official familiar with the operation and corroborating material.
The older Air Force One continued to Britain carrying journalists and some White House staff who believed Trump was aboard, effectively serving as a decoy. The C-32A carrying Trump arrived at RAF Mildenhall before the other aircraft, the Post reported.
The operation followed a credible threat against Trump, according to the report. The New York Times separately reported a similar account, citing U.S. officials.
Trump had arrived in Turkey aboard a newly renovated Boeing 747 donated by Qatar. Before leaving Ankara, he said he would instead use the older Air Force One, saying the newer aircraft would stop in Britain so U.S. service members could tour it.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said the Qatari-donated aircraft had been fitted with high-level security measures and that the administration uses every available tool to address threats against the president. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump later appeared in Britain and transferred to the Qatari-donated aircraft for the flight to the United States. The precise circumstances of how he moved back to the older Air Force One were not immediately clear.
