US President Donald Trump was secretly whisked out of Turkey aboard a smaller military aircraft after security officials received intelligence about a potential Iranian assassination threat.
The commander-in-chief was on his way back from a NATO summit in Turkey when he was bundled off the jet and boarded onto a separate military plane, The New York Times reports.
Trump had traveled to Turkey aboard a new 747-8 donated by Qatari officials, which the Trump administration has spent vast sums of money improving for security.
As the summit concluded, Trump announced he would not take the newly outfitted plane and would instead board an older model for ‘old time’s sake.’
Trump was then seen boarding the older-model plane in Ankara, which was bound for a US military base in the UK.
However, officials familiar with the reported ruse told The NY Times Trump covertly entered a food cart that had been fitted to the belly of the plane amid threats from Iranian officials.
He was then transported to a smaller Air Force C-32A plane via an airport catering truck that is typically used to load meals and other supplies onto Air Force One, according to the Washington Post.
The plot reportedly fooled journalists and even some White House staffers who were aboard the decoy Air Force One flight.
After departing Ankara, the C-32A carrying Trump landed at Mildenhall Air Force Base in the United Kingdom. The plane arrived about 9 minutes before reporters, and White House staff aboard Air Force One landed at the same base.
Several outlets reported last month that intelligence officials flagged a specific threat against the president, triggering the plane switch.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel tipped the US off about a potential Iranian assassination plot targeting Trump.
When reached for comment about the report, White House communications director Steven Cheung touted the safety of the Qatari-gifted jet.
“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,” Cheung said in a statement. “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.”
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