Trump secretly switched planes in Turkey after reported Iran assassination threat

US President Donald Trump secretly switched aircraft during a summit in Turkey after receiving information about a potential threat to his safety, according to a Washington Post report.

Trump was reportedly seen moving between three different aircraft during his July 8 visit to Turkey for the NATO summit. He later confirmed that he had changed planes but did not disclose details of the threat, saying he followed the advice of the Secret Service and the military.

According to the report, Trump initially travelled aboard the Boeing 747-8 gifted to the United States by Qatar. He then secretly transferred to an older Air Force One aircraft before making another undisclosed switch to a smaller C-32A aircraft.

The plane changes came amid reports that US authorities had received intelligence about a possible threat from Iranian proxies. The Washington Post reported that the threat was considered real but was assessed by the CIA as not compelling enough to establish a high level of confidence.

Israel reportedly passed threat warning to US

Citing former US officials familiar with the matter, the newspaper reported that Israel had passed information to the United States warning of a possible assassination attempt against Trump.

However, US intelligence officials reportedly had limited confidence in the information. One official described the intelligence as “Israel-derived, not US-generated and viewed as low confidence” and said that assessment was communicated to Trump’s team.

Despite the low-confidence assessment, the Secret Service reportedly decided not to take any chances, particularly because Trump had previously faced assassination attempts.

“The Secret Service has had three near misses with this president, so they’re not taking any chances,” a US official told the Washington Post.

Trump’s secret aircraft shuffle

The unusual aircraft changes took place on July 8 during the NATO summit in Ankara.

Trump reportedly disembarked discreetly from the Qatar-gifted Boeing 747-8 and boarded a legacy Air Force One aircraft. He later left that aircraft and was transported to a third plane, a C-32A, using an airport catering truck to avoid drawing attention.

The smaller aircraft subsequently flew Trump to Britain’s RAF Mildenhall air base, according to the report.

The aircraft carrying the president was also reportedly escorted by F-16 fighter jets during the flight to Britain.

The episode highlights the extensive security precautions surrounding the US president amid continuing tensions between Washington, Tehran and Israel and renewed concerns over potential threats against Trump.