‘I have lots of threats you don’t know about’, Trump says as he confirms secret jet switch to throw off Iran’s assassins

DONALD Trump has confirmed he secretly switched jets as he left a Nato summit in Turkey last month to throw off Iran’s assassins. The US president was smuggled off Air Force One by a Turkish airport catering truck to board a different military jet in Ankara on July 8. US President Donald Trump confirmed the high-stakes operation on Tuesday Credit: AP The truck was parked underneath the plane before Trump boarded Credit: Reuters On Tuesday night Trump said: “I go by Secret Service and the military. “They wanted me to go in a different flight, different plane. I just have to do what they say.” Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! A person with a shoulder-fired missile had been spotted near the Nato summit, US intelligence sources told the New York Times. And a credible Iranian threat to fire a missile at the plane had been detected, officials told CBS News. Trump previously said he was Iran’s “number one target” during the summit in Ankara. “I guess there was a threat out there,” the US president told reporters aboard Air Force One on Tuesday. “I have a lot of threats that you don’t know about”, he added. The high-stakes switch raised questions about whether the journalists and White House staff left on the decoy plane were in danger. Most read in The Sun A catering truck was raised to the side of the former Air Force One, reportedly used to sneak Trump off the flight Credit: AP Press and White House staff around the legacy Air Force One in Ankara, Turkey Credit: Splash But Trump revealed the aircraft he flew on was “at greater risk”. “I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that they would be more likely to go for”, he said. As well as the missile threat in Ankara, Iranian operatives reportedly knew where the US president was staying in the city, including the floor of the building. Ahead of the extraordinary mission, the public were told Trump would fly on an older version of Air Force One. On social media Trump claimed he was taking the legacy 747 back “for old time’s sake”. But the US president actually used a third plane, Air Force C-32A. Footage from the Ankara airport shows a catering truck with a raised box bed with its dock raised on the far side of Air Force One as Trump boarded the plane. As the press boarded moments later, the truck drove virtually unnoticed to the nearby C-32A jet which carried Trump to the UK. Trump reportedly used the plane as a decoy Credit: AP Trump lands at RAF Mildenhall Credit: AP Those aboard Air Force One were instructed to keep their window shades closed at the request of the Secret Service. The stealthy relocation came after a night of heavy US strikes on Iran. Both flights landed at RAF Mildenhall and Trump appeared before TV cameras and descended the decoy plane’s stairs. White House communications director Steven Cheung said: “The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff. “As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats.” Comment now