President Donald Trump secretly switched aircraft while leaving Turkey last month as part of an elaborate security operation prompted by what a U.S. official described as an Iranian assassination threat, according to The Washington Post.
Trump initially boarded the older Air Force One in Ankara in full view of cameras. However, according to the report, he and several aides were later transferred to a smaller Air Force C-32A using an airport catering truck, while journalists and some White House staff remained aboard the larger aircraft believing Trump was still on board.
The three aircraft then traveled separately to the United Kingdom. Once in Britain, Trump transferred to the newer Boeing 747-8 that had been gifted to the United States by Qatar and used it for the flight back to Washington. The White House had publicly maintained that Trump departed Turkey aboard the older Air Force One.
