09:26
Shortly after attending the NATO Summit in Turkiye on July 8, US President Donald Trump took a secret flight out of the country amid threats of an Iranian assassination attempt, according to a report by the Washington Post.
The clandestine mission, which was not reported earlier, was carried out unbeknownst to journalists and some White House staff members who believed they were on the same plane as President Trump, as per the material reviewed by the Washington Post, a US official familiar with the operation and another person with knowledge of the President's travel who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
According to corroborating material reviewed by the Washington Post and the US official, while Trump boarded the old Air Force One jumbo jet in view of cameras, he was secretly shuttled out minutes later into a smaller plane- the Air Force C-32A via an airport catering truck used typically to load meals and other supplies pre-flight.
To exit that plane without being seen, Trump and several aides stepped aboard an airport catering truck, which was elevated plane-side using hydraulics and positioned at a door on the opposite side of Air Force One's entrance, according to the U.S. official and other corroborating material reviewed by the Washington Post.
Hence, the Air Force One was a "decoy" with media and some members of the White House staff aboard, as per the official.
The blue-and-white C-32A, a modified Boeing 757 used to transport American government officials, had been flown to Turkiye along with the legacy Air Force One and the former Qatari jet to support the president's visit, the US official said. -- ANI
