Washington Reveals Plot to Target Trump’s Plane in Turkey with Surface-to-Air and Man-Portable Missiles
Amid the spread of images and mocking comments regarding the details of his transfer in a food truck from his new presidential aircraft in an exceptional deception operation triggered by an Iranian threat to assassinate him, US President Donald Trump admitted yesterday that he secretly flew on an alternative plane during his trip from last month’s NATO summit in Turkey to the UK, confirming that it was “more vulnerable” than Air Force One.
Trump, who is concerned with his public image and constantly promotes himself online with edited photos portraying him as a bold and courageous leader, said, “It’s up to the Secret Service agents alone. I just follow what they want to do, their instructions and the military’s,” adding, “I think there was some kind of threat. I didn’t ask much about it. I receive a lot of threats.”
News reports revealed that Iran was aware of Trump’s location in Ankara, including the floor where he was staying, after US media reported that senior officials in his administration executed the deception plan to safely extract him due to potential Iranian threats to target him.
The New York Times quoted two US officials familiar with the matter as saying that intelligence gathered multiple pieces of information confirming a specific threat to use a surface-to-air missile against Air Force One carrying Trump, and that a person was seen near the summit area carrying a shoulder-fired missile.
US authorities deemed the threat sufficiently credible, prompting Trump and several senior officials in his administration to carry out an unprecedented camouflage operation. The president appeared on camera boarding the old presidential plane instead of the new one gifted to him by Qatar, a Boeing 747-8, which he had arrived on.
Trump told reporters the day before yesterday, “I actually think the plane I rode was at greater risk. Because it’s the plane I think they were most likely to target.”
These developments come against a backdrop of a history of threats against Trump, who was shot and wounded by a bullet during his 2024 election campaign, and was targeted by another gunman at his golf course in Florida in the same year. Neither of these attempts were linked to Iranian threats.
One person was convicted in a case involving a plot to assassinate Trump for money, uncovered by the administration of former President Joe Biden. Authorities at the time stated that the plot was led by Iranian entities, utilizing a proxy force acting on their behalf.
