Secret Service moved Trump to unmarked jet after missile threat in Turkey
A credible and imminent threat that Air Force One could be targeted prompted the Secret Service to secretly move President Donald Trump to another aircraft.
Ankara, Turkey. A threat that Air Force One could be targeted by a shoulder-fired missile prompted the U.S. Secret Service to secretly move President Donald Trump onto an unmarked government jet during a visit to Turkey last month, according to a person briefed on the matter.
The threat emerged on the final day of Trump’s visit to Ankara for the NATO summit, amid heightened tensions with Iran, the source said.
Last-minute security operation
The Secret Service assessed the threat as credible and imminent, leading to an operation to conceal the president’s movements, the source said.
The source did not disclose the origin of the intelligence but said officials had limited time to prepare and developed the plan at the last minute.
Trump and a small group of aides reportedly used a catering truck to move from the presidential aircraft to a smaller, nondescript C-32A jet. The group left Turkey on July 8, while Air Force One departed separately carrying senior administration officials, White House staff and the travelling press corps.
Trump comments
Trump said on Tuesday that he changed aircraft at the direction of the Secret Service, which is responsible for presidential security.
He travelled from Ankara to a refuelling stop in Britain without incident.
“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk,” Trump told reporters, without providing evidence. “I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for.”
Previous secret travel
U.S. presidents, including Trump, have occasionally travelled secretly when visiting war zones or high-risk regions to maintain security. Such trips have typically involved advance notice for journalists travelling with the president.
Some journalists were informed in advance of President George W. Bush’s Thanksgiving 2003 trip to Baghdad, while others covering Bush in Crawford, Texas, were told he was spending the holiday with family before his appearance in Iraq.
The source said the Secret Service did not have similar time to prepare during Trump’s visit to Turkey, describing officials as scrambling to address what they considered a credible and imminent threat.
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