The decision to switch the Air Force One aircraft used to return US President Donald Trump from a NATO summit in Turkey earlier this month was prompted by a “credible threat” from Iranian proxy forces, The New York Times reported overnight Friday.
The report sheds new light on the circumstances surrounding the unusual decision to use the older Air Force One rather than the newly refurbished aircraft donated by Qatar.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee: Israel warned us of a plot to harm Trump
(Video: FOX NEWS)
Just over two weeks ago, at the conclusion of the NATO summit in Ankara, the US Secret Service recommended that Trump leave Turkey aboard the older aircraft as a security precaution amid renewed fighting with Iran.
Trump said at the time that the switch was not prompted by security concerns. When asked whether safety considerations had led to the change in flight plans, however, he replied that he was “number one on Iran’s assassination list.”
The Wall Street Journal later reported that the aircraft switch came after US officials received Israeli intelligence about a possible plot to assassinate Trump.
Some American officials cited in that report said the warning was not considered fully credible. They also expressed concern that Israel may have shared the intelligence in an effort to influence US decision-making and encourage Washington to return to a broader war against Iran.
US President Donald Trump steps from the older Air Force One onto the newer aircraft
(Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images, AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The New York Times reported Friday night that the aircraft was changed after US officials determined that there was a “credible threat to Air Force One from Iranian proxy forces.”
According to the report, the nature of the threat helps explain the White House’s decision to return Trump to the older aircraft, which is reportedly equipped with defensive systems, rather than use the Qatari-donated plane that had been rushed into service at Trump’s urging.
The intelligence did not indicate that the Qatari aircraft itself was specifically connected to the alleged Iranian proxy plot, the report said. The forces were reportedly planning to target Trump regardless of which plane he used.
The Times also said the threat to Air Force One was identified independently by the United States and was separate from the threat raised in the Israeli intelligence warning. The White House declined to comment on the report.
In response to questions from the Times, however, a senior administration official pointed to Trump’s references during and after the summit to threats against him and expressed support for the steps taken to protect the president and his delegation.
Details of the reported threat were not widely distributed within the administration. Some senior officials were told only that the aircraft switch was prompted by “general concerns” involving Iran. Relevant members of Congress were also not briefed on the threat, according to the report.