President Donald Trump secretly transferred to a military aircraft while leaving Turkey last month, leaving Air Force One as a decoy amid an assassination threat from Iran.
According to the Wall Street Journal on August 11, Israel provided intelligence indicating that Iran could target either President Trump or Air Force One, including the possibility of an attack using surface-to-air missiles.
No missile launches occurred, and the reliability of the intelligence has not been specifically confirmed. However, U.S. security officials deemed the situation serious enough to alter the president's travel plans. The WSJ noted, "This is the first time such a deception operation has occurred during Trump's presidency."
The operation took place on July 8 at Ankara Airport. President Trump boarded Air Force One in front of the press but secretly exited through a catering vehicle attached to the opposite entrance. He then transferred to a waiting U.S. Air Force C-32A nearby and headed to the UK.
The military aircraft flew with its tracking device turned off. Instead of the usual call sign 'Air Force One,' it used the standard military call sign 'Reach 18' to conceal its actual flight path.
Meanwhile, the existing Air Force One carrying White House staff and reporters continued to the UK. Passengers believed the president was on the same flight, effectively making Air Force One a decoy.
After arriving at the U.S. Air Force base in Mildenhall, UK, Trump transferred back to the original Air Force One and later appeared before cameras to encourage U.S. troops.
Trump later acknowledged the secret transfer, explaining it was a precautionary measure based on the assessments of the Secret Service and military officials.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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