Contradicting public statements, Trump took secret flight from Turkey amid Iranian threat
Iranian assassination threat against U.S. president prompted extraordinary operation last month
US President Donald Trump's departure from a NATO summit in Turkey last month involved an elaborate ruse. According to the Washington Post, an Iranian assassination threat prompted a secret change in travel plans.
While the White House said Trump was aboard Air Force One, he actually used a smaller military plane, an Air Force C-32A. Before departing, Trump boarded the older Air Force One in front of cameras in Ankara. He was then secretly shuttled by an airport catering truck to the C-32A.
The C-32A flew to Britain, arriving at around 10:20 pm. The older Air Force One and media arrived minutes later. Trump had initially traveled to Ankara on a newly renovated Qatari-donated jet. According to Trump, he used the older plane for "old time's sake".
Brief written by urgent.news from Toronto Sun, Free Malaysia Today, Al-Monitor, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
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