US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he was secretly moved to another aircraft after leaving the NATO summit in Turkey last month because of a possible Iranian missile threat, the BBC reported.
Trump said the Secret Service and military officials instructed him to switch planes. “I just have to do what they say,” he told reporters.
The revelation follows reports that Trump boarded Air Force One in full view of cameras on July 8 before secretly being transferred to a smaller military aircraft using a catering truck. According to CBS News, US officials detected a credible Iranian threat to fire a missile at the presidential aircraft.
The New York Times also reported that US intelligence had information about a person near the NATO summit who had been seen with a shoulder-fired missile. Trump said he did not ask for details about the threat, adding that he receives “a lot of threats”. Journalists and some White House staff were reportedly left aboard the original Air Force One and were unaware that Trump had been moved.
The aircraft continued Trump confirms secret plane swap over Iran threat using the presidential call sign “AF1”, while Trump travelled aboard the military C[1]32A under the call sign “Reach 18”. The dramatic security operation came amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran following renewed American strikes on Iranian targets. The Committee to Protect Journalists said the White House had a responsibility to ensure journalists were not unnecessarily exposed to danger and that reporters should be informed of credible security threats affecting their safety, BBC said.
