Iran-Linked Threat Prompted Trump’s Plane Swap at NATO Summit

US President Donald Trump was reportedly the target of a credible threat from Iranian proxy forces during the NATO summit in Ankara, according to The New York Times, citing several people briefed on the matter.

US authorities assessed that the forces were targeting Trump and Air Force One. The Secret Service therefore recommended that he return from Turkey aboard the older presidential aircraft rather than the new Boeing 747-8 donated by Qatar.

According to the newspaper, there was no indication that the new aircraft itself was the specific target. However, it lacks some of the advanced defensive capabilities of the existing presidential fleet, prompting the Secret Service to recommend the switch.

The White House rejected suggestions that the new presidential aircraft was unsafe. It described the plane as “perfectly safe” and said further upgrades were planned for the fall.

The New York Times reported that details of the threat were not widely shared within the administration and that key members of Congress had not been briefed.

(weltwoche, nyt, est)