Washington Post: Threat Against Trump Prompted His Secret Transfer from Turkey.
The Washington Post, citing documents it reviewed as well as an unnamed U.S. official and a person familiar with the matter, reported that a threat by the Islamic Republic of Iran to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump prompted a special security operation last month, during which Trump was secretly transferred from Turkey to the United Kingdom aboard a different military aircraft.
According to the report, U.S. officials used one of the Air Force One aircraft as a decoy to conceal Trump’s whereabouts. As a result, journalists and some White House staff believed that the president remained aboard that aircraft.
Trump had traveled to Turkey to attend the NATO summit in Ankara aboard a new Boeing 747 donated to the United States by Qatar. During the trip, the aircraft was positioned alongside one of the older presidential aircraft.
The Washington Post reported that, upon departing Turkey, Trump publicly boarded one of the older Air Force One aircraft in front of cameras. He was then secretly transferred to a smaller U.S. Air Force aircraft using an airport catering vehicle.
The smaller aircraft subsequently flew Trump from Turkey to the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, journalists and some White House staff who believed the president was aboard the older Air Force One aircraft traveled to the UK on that same plane.
In effect, the older Air Force One served as a decoy aircraft, preventing those who might pose a threat to the president from determining his actual location. According to the report, journalists aboard the flight were asked to keep the aircraft’s window shades closed.
In response to questions from the Washington Post, the White House neither confirmed nor denied the details of the operation, instead emphasizing the safety of the new presidential aircraft and the existence of adversaries who have targeted Trump. The Pentagon referred questions to the White House, while the U.S. Secret Service declined to comment.
The use of a decoy aircraft to protect the U.S. president has precedent. According to a U.S. official interviewed by the Washington Post, there have been other instances over the past three decades in which Air Force One was used as a decoy because of serious threats against a president or during visits to high-risk areas.
One well-known example occurred in 2000 during then-President Bill Clinton’s visit to Pakistan. At the time, security concerns surrounding the U.S. president’s trip to the region prompted special measures to protect him.
Trump’s secret transfer from Turkey to the United Kingdom came amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, with U.S. officials warning of potential threats against the president. The Washington Post reported that these security concerns prompted the special operation designed to conceal Trump’s travel route and actual location.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
