New reporting details an elaborate operation to secretly move President Trump out of Turkey last month amid intelligence warning of a possible Iranian assassination attempt, including a plan to use a shoulder-fired missile against Air Force One.
According to the reports, Israeli intelligence shared with the CIA indicated Iran knew which hotel Trump was staying at in Ankara and was tracking his motorcade’s movements. In response, officials arranged for Trump to walk up the external stairs of Air Force One for cameras, then exit the opposite side of the aircraft onto an elevated catering truck, out of view, before boarding a separate military C-32 jet that flew him to Royal Air Force Mildenhall in the United Kingdom.
Reporters traveling with the president’s press pool were reportedly kept on a decoy flight, believing Trump remained aboard, while he departed separately on the military aircraft. The episode reflects the scale of the security concerns surrounding Trump’s travel amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict.
Officials made the decision to covertly transport Trump out of Turkey using an unconventional security operation that involved a catering truck and a secret plane switch. The measures were put in place following concerns over heightened regional security risks, prompting personnel to execute a discreet departure plan to ensure safety during the departure.
The timing of the covert operation coincided with reports of a credible Iranian missile threat emerging within a narrow window around the scheduled travel. However, the intelligence underpinning the security maneuver has generated scrutiny, as subsequent reporting indicated that the CIA maintained low confidence in the specific Iranian threat prior to the execution of the plane switch in Turkey.
The operation has since drawn debate from observers and security analysts evaluating the strategic logic and necessity of the evasion tactics. In addition to questions surrounding the intelligence assessments, attention has also focused on the broader decision-making process and the officials who accompanied Trump aboard the covert flight out of the country.