Missile threat made Trump move to smaller US jet during Turkey visit: Report

US
P eside t
Do ald
T ump
waves
as
he
switches
pla es
at
US
Ai
Fo ce
Base
i
E gla d,
o
his
way
back
to
Washi gto
f om
the
Nato
summit
i
Tu key

US
P eside t
Do ald
T ump
was
sec etly
moved
to
a
smalle
milita y
ai c aft
afte
a
c edible
a d
immi e t
th eat
that
a
shoulde -fi ed
missile
could
ta get
his
pla e
du i g
his
etu
f om
Tu key
last
mo th,
acco di g
to
people
b iefed
o
the
matte
cited
by
Reute s.The
ext ao di a y
secu ity
ope atio
took
place
o
July
8,
the
fi al
day
of
T ump’s
visit
to
A ka a
fo
the
Nato
summit,
as
te sio s
with
I a
we e
u i g
high.T ump
a d
a
small
g oup
of
aides
we e
moved
f om
the
p eside tial
ai c aft
to
a
o desc ipt
C-32A
jet
usi g
a
cate i g
t uck,
while
the
la ge
ai c aft
co ti ued
its
jou ey
ca yi g
se io
admi ist atio
officials,
White
House
staff
a d
jou alists.The
ope atio
was
kept
sec et
to
co ceal
the
p eside t’s
moveme ts.

Sec et
Se vice
acted
o
c edible,
immi e t
th eat

Acco di g
to
a
pe so
b iefed
o
the
matte ,
the
Sec et
Se vice
dete mi ed
that
the
th eat
was
c edible
a d
immi e t
a d
had
little
time
to
p epa e
a
alte ative
t avel
pla .A
seco d
sou ce
told
Reute s
that
the e
was
o
clea
ope atio al
pla
by
T ump’s
pote tial
attacke s,
but
the e
was
a
appa e t
i te t
to
ta get
him.
That
assessme t
allowed
the
ai c aft
to
co ti ue
flyi g
while
additio al
p ecautio s
we e
take .

The
sou ces
did
ot
disclose
whe e
the
i tellige ce
about
the
th eat
came
f om.T ump
co fi med
o
Tuesday
that
the
Sec et
Se vice
had
o de ed
him
to
use
a
diffe e t
ai c aft,
although
he
did
ot
disclose
details
of
the
th eat.”It’s
o ly
up
to
the
Sec et
Se vice.
I
just
follow
what
they’d
like
to
do,
so
I
go
by
Sec et
Se vice
a d
the
milita y,”
T ump
told
epo te s.He
added
that
the
ai c aft
he
ultimately
t avelled
o
may
have
bee
at
g eate
isk
because
a
attacke
would
have
bee
mo e
likely
to
ta get
the
pla e
believed
to
be
ca yi g
him.”I
thi k
actually
the
pla e
that
I
flew
o
was
at
g eate
isk,”
T ump
said.
“I
thi k
it
was
at
g eate
isk
because
that
would
be
the
pla e
I
thi k
that
they’d
be
mo e
likely
to
go
fo .”

Ai
Fo ce
O e
used
as
a
decoy

T ump
had
t avelled
to
the
Nato
summit
aboa d
a
ewe
Boei g
747-8
ai c aft
gifted
by
Qata
a d
et ofitted
fo
US
use.
Fo
the
etu
jou ey,
howeve ,
he
had
publicly
i dicated
that
he
would
i itially
use
the
olde
Ai
Fo ce
O e
ai c aft.T ump
boa ded
the
p eside tial
ai c aft
i
A ka a
as
expected.
He
was
the
sec etly
moved
to
a
smalle
C-32A,
a
modified
Boei g
757
commo ly
used
fo
se io
US
officials,
th ough
a
cate i g
t uck.Mea while,
the
la ge
ai c aft
depa ted
sepa ately
with
Sec eta y
of
State
Ma co
Rubio,
T easu y
Sec eta y
Scott
Besse t,
White
House
staff
a d
the
t avelli g
p ess
co ps.The
ope atio
was
desig ed
to
make
it
appea
that
T ump
was
still
aboa d
the
p eside tial
ai c aft.Rubio
was
awa e
of
the
ai c aft
switch
a d
the
th eat
behi d
it.
A
se io
US
official
told
ews
age cy
AP
that
Besse t
was
likely
awa e
of
the
situatio ,
although
the
official
could
ot
co fi m
it.T ump’s
secu ity
a a geme ts
we e
mo e
exte sive
because
of
the
specific
th eat
to
the
p eside t,
the
official
said.

What
ki d
of
missile
aised
co ce ?

The
atu e
of
the
epo ted
th eat
has
ot
bee
publicly
co fi med
by
US
officials.Douglas
Bi key,
executive
di ecto
of
the
Mitchell
I stitute
fo
Ae ospace
Studies,
told
Reute s
that
o e
possibility
was
a
ewe
type
of
heat-seeki g
missile
desig ed
to
home
i
o
a
ai c aft’s
hot
e gi es.Such
weapo s
ca
be
difficult
to
detect
because
they
do
ot
ecessa ily
emit
the
adio
sig als
associated
with
ada -guided
systems.Bi key
cited
the
I a ia
SA-67
as
o e
possible
example,
desc ibi g
it
as
a
weapo
believed
to
have
heat-seeki g
a d
lase -guida ce
capabilities.
He
also
poi ted
to
Russia’s
shoulde -lau ched
9K333
Ve ba
system.Howeve ,
the e
has
bee
o
public
co fi matio
that
eithe
weapo
was
i volved
i
the
th eat
agai st
T ump.

Jou alists
o
boa d
did
ot
k ow
T ump
had
left

The
sec ecy
of
the
ope atio
mea t
that
jou alists
a d
some
White
House
staff
t avelli g
o
the
la ge
ai c aft
we e
u awa e
that
T ump
had
bee
moved
to
a othe
pla e.The
Washi gto
Post
fi st
epo ted
details
of
the
ope atio
this
week,
mo e
tha
a
mo th
afte
it
took
place.
The
New
Yo k
Times
subseque tly
epo ted
that
US
i tellige ce
officials
had
bee
co ce ed
that
I a ia
ope atives
k ew
whe e
T ump
was
stayi g
i
A ka a,
i cludi g
the
floo
of
his
hotel.Jou alists
aboa d
the
ai c aft
we e
i st ucted
to
keep
the
wi dow
shades
closed.
The
White
House
Co espo de ts’
Associatio
late
said
membe s
of
the
t avelli g
p ess
oticed
u usual
secu ity
a a geme ts
a ou d
the
pla e.T ump
eve tually
flew
to
a
efuelli g
stop
i
B itai
without
i cide t
a d
late
t a sfe ed
back
to
the
legacy
p eside tial
ai c aft
befo e
co ti ui g
his
jou ey
to
the
US.

Questio s
ove
‘decoy’
pla e
a d
passe ge
safety

The
ope atio
has
aised
questio s
about
the
safety
of
those
who
emai ed
aboa d
the
ai c aft
believed
to
be
ca yi g
the
p eside t.Amo g
those
passe ge s
we e
se io
membe s
of
T ump’s
Cabi et
as
well
as
jou alists.Some
comme tato s
a d
lawmake s
have
questio ed
whethe
usi g
the
p eside tial
ai c aft
as
a
decoy
could
have
exposed
those
passe ge s
to
da ge
if
a
attack
had
occu ed.The
Reute s
sou ce
said
officials
eve theless
dete mi ed
that
co ceali g
T ump’s
moveme ts
was
i
his
best
i te ests
give
the
heighte ed
te sio s
with
I a .P eside tial
secu ity
is
t eated
diffe e tly
f om
that
of
eve
the
most
se io
Cabi et
officials.U de
the
US
Co stitutio ,
the
sec eta y
of
state
a d
sec eta y
of
the
t easu y
a e
amo g
those
i
the
p eside tial
li e
of
successio ,
but
they
do
ot
eceive
the
same
level
of
p otectio
as
the
p eside t.

T ump
had
wa ed
of
I a
th eat

The
i cide t
came
agai st
the
backd op
of
heighte ed
US-I a
te sio s
a d
e ewed
Ame ica
milita y
actio
agai st
I a .T ump
had
p eviously
said
that
he
was
a
majo
ta get
fo
I a
a d
ack owledged
o
Tuesday
that
he
egula ly
eceives
th eats.”I
guess
the e
was
a
th eat
out
the e,”
T ump
said,
acco di g
to
the
BBC’s
ea lie
epo t.
“I
did ‘t
eally
ask
too
much
about
it.
I
get
a
lot
of
th eats.”He
added,
“I
have
a
lot
of
th eats
that
you
do ‘t
k ow
about.”US
p eside ts
have
p eviously
t avelled
sec etly
du i g
high- isk
t ips,
pa ticula ly
du i g
visits
to
wa
zo es.But
the
Tu key
ope atio
was
u usual
because
it
i volved
c eati g
the
appea a ce
that
T ump
emai ed
aboa d
o e
ai c aft
while
sec etly
movi g
him
to
a othe ,
with
membe s
of
the
t avelli g
p ess
co ps
u awa e
of
the
switch.

Go to Sou ce