According to a New York Times report, based on confidential sources, U.S. President Donald Trump changed his presidential plane at the last minute during his return from the NATO summit in Ankara in early July. The reason was an alert about a possible threat from Iran.
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Trump had traveled to the Turkish capital on a Boeing 747-8, a gift from Qatar. This modern plane was not equipped with the sophisticated security features that the classic Air Force One model possesses, the American daily writes.
Sources stated that the threat signal was intercepted while Trump was attending the summit. Immediately after a notification from the Secret Service, he decided not to use the new plane for the return flight.
To the public, however, the president gave a different explanation. He stated that the aircraft change was made to allow U.S. troops stationed in Great Britain to admire the new presidential plane up close.
After departing from Turkey on the old Air Force One, Trump arrived in the United Kingdom and then transferred again to the new plane to complete the itinerary to Washington.
The New York Times had raised concerns earlier in the month, reporting that American officials had reservations about the defensive capabilities of the plane from Qatar.
After these details came to light, U.S. authorities launched an investigation into the leak of information. As part of it, several journalists were asked to testify before a grand jury, and they and their families were requested to hand over phone call records.
Over the past weekend, Trump himself confirmed that the new plane still lacks some vital defensive functions present in previous versions of Air Force One, including the anti-missile system.
