WASHINGTON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Prompted by an Iranian threat, U.S. President Donald Trump took a secret military flight from Turkey last month when the White House said he was aboard Air Force One, the Washington Post reported Monday.
Trump had taken the newly renovated Qatari-donated jet to Ankara for the NATO summit but he unexpectedly used an older Air Force One when departing the country, a move that prompted questions about the newer plane's security.
The trip to NATO was the first international
travel for the new plane and took place as hostilities escalated with Iran, a country that borders Turkey.
After Trump boarded the old Air Force One in front of cameras in Ankara, he was secretly shuttled by an airport catering truck to a smaller plane, an Air Force C-32A, the Post reported citing a U.S. official familiar with the operation and another person familiar with the president's travel.
The C-32A flew to Britain, arriving at around 10:20 p.m. with the older Air Force One and media, arriving minutes later, the Post reported.
Trump said on Truth Social that he would use an older baby blue Air Force One plane "for old time's sake" to fly from Ankara to RAF Mildenhall in Britain while the new plane stopped at the same base so U.S. service members stationed there could tour the aircraft.
When asked for comment on the revelation of a secret flight on a third plane, the White House provided a statement from Communications Director Steve Cheung saying the Qatari-donated jet 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," Cheung said. It was the same statement provided to the Post.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Christian Martinez and Humeyra Pamuk; Editing by Caitlin Webber)
