US president secretly switched planes in
Turkey amid security concerns, official says
WASHINGTON:
President Donald Trump secretly slipped out of Turkey last month on an alternate military plane, which he boarded while hidden inside a catering truck, as part of an elaborate ruse prompted by an Iranian threat, according to a US official.
The clandestine security plan – first reported by the Washington Post and confirmed by CNN – underscored the lengths American officials went to in order to protect Trump from being assassinated by Iran.
Trump had flown to Turkey on a new plane gifted by Qatar and meant to be used as Air Force One. But while he was on the trip, officials announced he would fly out on an older presidential plane, which CNN and others had previously reported was due to security concerns.
That, though, was apparently part of the subterfuge. After boarding the older aircraft, a moment caught on camera, Trump secretly got off via the catering vehicle and moved to a smaller Air Force C-32A. The Qatari-gifted plane, the older aircraft used as Air Force One and the C-32A then all departed separately for the UK. Once there, Trump got on board the Qatari-gifted plane and flew home.
For the last month, much of the public discussion about the plane swap had been centered on the security capabilities of the Qatari-donated plane. Trump had boasted about the new aircraft – even though officials felt it was not as secure as other planes because it had to be retrofitted to serve as Air Force One – and the president seethed privately over coverage of its deficiencies, CNN previously reported.
Now, attention is likely to shift to reporters and staffers unknowingly flying on a decoy plane – and the nature of the threat that prompted such dramatic security measures.
When asked about the reports of the secret plane switch, White House spokesperson Steven Cheung told CNN, “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. 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.”
A Democratic national security aide said Tuesday that the Gang of Eight – the top lawmakers on Capitol Hill who oversee the intelligence community – was not briefed on the episode, but noted that presidential movements are not something Congress gets deeply involved in managing. “Congress should have been briefed on the threat, if not the episode,” the aide said.
