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See the full story · 12 sourcesUS president was whisked away from Air Force One onto a smaller aircraft and flown to the Mildenhall air base in the UK
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US president Donald Trump was secretly transported away from last month’s Nato summit in Ankara , Turkey , using a secondary military plane while an elaborate deception made it seem he was aboard Air Force One , according to a report published by The Washington Post on Monday.
The newspaper reported that the covert movement was triggered by an assassination threat from Iran targeting Mr Trump. Reporters and several White House personnel were left believing they were travelling on the same aircraft as the president as his return journey to Washington commenced following the annual gathering of Nato leaders.
The newspaper based its account on reviewed documentation, a US official aware of the operation and another individual familiar with the president’s travel arrangements.
Mr Trump had originally arrived in Turkey on a newly retrofitted red, white and navy blue jet presented as a gift from Qatar . Prior to leaving, however, he announced that he would complete the first leg of his journey home on an older, baby-blue Air Force One aircraft . At the time, the president explained that the luxury aircraft was departing Ankara early so US military personnel stationed in eastern England could view the updated Air Force One.
Mr Trump was filmed by television crews boarding the older jumbo jet in Ankara before it set off for the Mildenhall Royal Air Force base in the UK.
But shortly after stepping onto the legacy Air Force One, Mr Trump was quietly transferred to a smaller Air Force C-32A plane. He was moved using a catering truck usually employed for loading inflight meals, before flying to Mildenhall on the smaller aircraft.
The White House did not directly address enquiries about the clandestine operation to transfer Mr Trump onto a third plane or the scheme designed to make it look as though he remained aboard the baby-blue Air Force One bound for Mildenhall. “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," White House communication director Steven Cheung said in a statement.
The US Secret Service declined to comment while the air force, which operates the executive transport fleet, directed enquiries to the White House.
During Mr Trump's stay in Turkey, the US military carried out significant strikes inside Iran following attacks on commercial shipping in the surrounding region.
Intelligence officials had previously warned of a possible attack targeting the president or his aircraft, as reported last month by the New York Times and CBS News. Those concerns prompted heightened security measures and the decision not to fly the newly gifted Qatari jet for the initial leg of Mr Trump’s return from Ankara.
The switch raised doubts concerning the safety of the plane provided by Qatar, which Mr Trump later noted would undergo further security enhancements.
On Monday, Mr Cheung insisted that the Qatari-gifted plane remained "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”.
The revelations regarding Mr Trump’s covert transfer to a third plane highlight the severity with which US security officials view potential threats against him amid conflict with Iran.
Paul Eckloff, a former Secret Service agent, remarked that such a tactic could indicate specific intelligence or extreme caution amid regional instability involving conflicts in Iran and Ukraine.
"I would not say unprecedented, but it is an unusual occurrence," Mr Eckloff said.
To leave the aircraft unnoticed, Mr Trump and a small group of aides boarded the hydraulic catering vehicle, which had been raised to a door on the far side of Air Force One, according to the Post .
The travelling press corps, unaware of the manoeuvre, were asked to pull down their window blinds prior to departure.
Upon landing at Mildenhall, photographers captured Mr Trump disembarking the primary presidential plane, indicating he had re-boarded Air Force One away from the travelling reporters.
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal demanded a congressional inquiry into the matter. "It is unprecedented and it’s surreal," he stated on CNN on Monday, describing the event as "downright scary”.
Following the short stop at the British airbase, Mr Trump boarded the newly gifted Air Force One jet to complete his journey to Washington.
Speaking to reporters on board, Mr Trump was asked directly whether there were credible Iranian threats against Air Force One. "Well, I have a threat all the time. I’m number one on their list before you," he replied.
He then told the accompanying press: "But if I go, you go."
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