Several American media outlets recently reported that when U.S. President Trump attended the NATO summit in Ankara in July, he hid in a meal cart to secretly change planes due to concerns about threats of “assassination” by Iran. He did not use any of the Air Force One to leave Turkey.
The New York Times reported on August 11 that the Iranian threat that prompted President Trump to secretly replace the Air Force One last month occurred on July 8, just as he was about to attend the final day of the NATO summit in Turkey.
According to two U.S. officials who are familiar with the threat, American intelligence agencies have obtained multiple pieces of information. They learned that there is a clear threat of anti-aircraft missiles against Air Force One—meaning any aircraft carrying the president could become a target. Additionally, someone was found with a shoulder-mounted missile near the NATO summit venue. The officials also said that Iran even has specific information about the location where Trump is staying in Ankara, including the floor he is on.
Two officials said that Secretary of State Rubio, Treasury Secretary Beranette, President's Advisor Stephen Miller, and White House Communications Director Zhang Zhenxi were all still on the original presidential plane.
Rubio is aware of this threat, but it is not yet clear how much other people are aware of it. Two officials said that at least some of the White House staff aboard the plane were unaware of the situation, and the accompanying journalists were also kept in the dark.
Due to the relevant intelligence involved, these officials were interviewed anonymously. The intelligence was considered sufficiently reliable, which prompted Trump and several senior members of his government to undertake an unusually bold maneuver to ensure his safe departure from Turkey. Trump first boarded the older "Air Force One" in front of media cameras—having previously stated that he would fly that plane out for “nostalgic” reasons—then secretly hid in a container on a airport catering truck and departed using a military aircraft.
