&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'For old time's sake': Iran knew Trump's exact location in Turkey? Full scale of assassination threat revealed")
The secret operation that moved Donald Trump off an Air Force One aircraft during his visit to Turkey last month was triggered by intelligence pointing to a potentially serious threat against the US president, according to US officials cited by The New York Times and Reuters.
What threats did Trump face in Türkiye?
According to reports, US intel indicated that the threat to Trump's life was significant, to shocking levels. US intelligence reportedly indicated that not only were Iranian operatives targeting the US President, but they also knew where Trump was staying in Ankara, including the floor of the building. Officials also learned that someone near the NATO summit had been seen with a shoulder-fired missile.
The intelligence was considered credible enough for the Secret Service to scramble an unusual plan to get Trump out of Turkey without revealing where he was.
How Trump used the deception card to fool Iran
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The operation unfolded on July 8, the final day of Trump's NATO summit visit. Trump had publicly said he would leave Turkey aboard an older Air Force One aircraft "for old time's sake". He was even filmed boarding the plane, giving the impression that he would make the journey on it. But shortly afterwards, Trump was secretly moved from the aircraft using an airport catering truck and taken to a smaller C-32A military jet.
The original Air Force One then departed carrying senior administration officials, White House staff, and journalists. In effect, it became a decoy. Trump later flew to Britain before eventually rejoining the presidential aircraft.
Why was a missile threat taken so seriously?
The exact source of the intelligence has not been disclosed. Reuters reported that officials believed the threat was credible and imminent, although there was no clear operational plan showing exactly how an attack would be carried out.
One possibility raised by aviation expert Douglas Birkey was a heat-seeking missile capable of targeting an aircraft's engines. Such weapons can be difficult to detect because they do not necessarily emit the radio signals associated with some radar-guided systems.
However, officials have not publicly confirmed what type of weapon, if any, was involved.
Why the secrecy was unusual
US presidents have used secret routes, decoy aircraft, and other deception techniques before, particularly during visits to dangerous locations.
What made Trump's Turkey operation unusual was that the deception extended to the journalists travelling with him. The press pool was allowed to believe Trump remained aboard the larger aircraft even after he had secretly left it.
The ruse was maintained because officials believed revealing Trump's actual location could compromise his security while tensions with Iran were high.
Iran has threatened Trump before
The latest intelligence came against a backdrop of longstanding tensions between Trump and Iran.
Trump has previously faced Iranian threats, including after the US killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020. US authorities have also prosecuted an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting Trump that they said was connected to Iranian operatives.
The latest threat, however, was significant because it reportedly involved specific information about Trump's whereabouts during a major international summit.
