A credible threat of a portable missile attack prompted the Secret Service to execute a covert operation to have President Donald Trump change aircraft after the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, last July, CNN reported Wednesday.
RELATED:
Trump Defends U.S. Weapons Stockpile After Report of Shortages
According to an anonymous source cited by the network, the intelligence was specific enough for agents to believe the president’s life was at enormous risk if he left Ankara on the old Air Force One or the new aircraft donated by Qatar.
The alert concerned a possible attack with a guided missile fired from a portable launcher. The source specified that the threat was considered serious due to the precise details the Iranians seemed to know about Trump’s preparations in Turkey, which put the Secret Service on high alert amid the ongoing war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio just walked away without answering when asked if the administration put Americans at risk by letting reporters fly on Air Force One while it was under threat.
The question was about Trump’s secret plane switch in Türkiye after the NATO summit.… pic.twitter.com/BQ29bvLaVC
— Paddystinian (@Paddystinian) August 13, 2026
Covert Operation in Ankara
Military and presidential security officials devised a plan for the Republican to board Air Force One and then secretly depart aboard a catering truck, subsequently boarding a military aircraft with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and several advisors.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent remained on the decoy plane, publicly identified as AF1, according to CBS. The press accompanying the president was unaware of these movements and reported that the Secret Service instructed them to keep the windows covered without explanation.
Trump used the new Qatari presidential plane to travel to Ankara; however, upon his return, he announced he would fly back on the old Air Force One for old times’ sake.
The Washington Post revealed the operation this week, generating controversy over the use of the presidential plane as a decoy with journalists and White House staff on board. “The plane I was flying on was at greater risk. I think that would be the plane they would most likely target,” Trump declared on Tuesday, adding that he was simply following the Secret Service’s instructions.
A similar operation was carried out in 2000 with Bill Clinton, although on that occasion members of the media were informed of the operation in real time.
#FromTheSouth News Bits | In the United States, a new policy from President Donald Trump could put thousands of asylum seekers at risk of deportation. Immigration lawyers estimate that more than 90 percent of these applications will be denied. pic.twitter.com/smXxgf3nO4
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) August 12, 2026
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.