Covert Operation: Trump Secretly Flown from Turkey Amid Iranian Threat
A credible Iranian assassination plot against US President Donald Trump led to an unprecedented covert operation last month, during which he was secretly flown out of Turkey on an alternate military aircraft. This operation occurred while the White House publicly claimed he was traveling on Air Force One, as reported by The Washington Post.
The covert relocation, which remained undisclosed until now, was executed without the knowledge of embedded reporters or several White House staffers who believed they were on the same aircraft as the president. According to operational documentation reviewed by The Post and a US official familiar with the mission, Trump was actually transferred to a smaller Air Force C-32A transport plane using an airport catering truck, which is typically used for loading inflight meals. This tactic effectively turned the primary Air Force One into a decoy carrying journalists and White House personnel.
Trump had been attending a NATO summit in Ankara when the operation took place. The night before, American forces had launched renewed airstrikes against Iranian targets on Trump's orders, following a breakdown in talks between Washington and Tehran. The operation successfully concealed Trump's true location from the public and many senior US officials for several hours.
In response to inquiries about the operation, White House communications director Steven Cheung defended the Qatari-provided plane, stating that it is equipped with high-level security protocols to ensure the safety of the President and his staff. He acknowledged the existence of threats against Trump, emphasizing the administration's commitment to addressing such dangers.
Official White House accounts continued to assert that Trump departed Turkey on the legacy Air Force One, despite the covert switch to the smaller aircraft. This revelation follows a previous report from The New York Times, which confirmed that credible threats from Iranian proxy groups targeting Trump prompted the sudden aircraft swap during his exit from Turkey.
During the plane switch, it was reported that Israeli intelligence had alerted US agencies about Iranian assassination plots targeting Trump. However, some US officials were cautious about this intelligence, fearing it might be an attempt to provoke Trump into escalating military action against Iran. Sources indicated that the specific security threat that necessitated the emergency plane switch was different from the intelligence shared by Israel.
While in Ankara, Trump addressed reporters about the assassination threats, stating, "They want to take out the US leader - me. I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long."
