President Donald Trump was reportedly whisked away in an airport catering cart and transported to a military aircraft for a clandestine flight out of the country, following rumours of an assassination plot from Iran, according to a high-ranking U.S. official.
Secret Departure from NATO Summit
The president was departing from the NATO summit in Turkey on July 8, having arrived on a 747-8 gifted by Qatar. The public were left puzzled when Trump chose a significantly less opulent aircraft for his return journey.
At the time, he declared he would be travelling back to the U.S. on an older plane "for old times' sake."
Details of the Covert Operation
The Qatari jet is said to have flown to a U.S. military base in the UK, without the U.S. leader on board. However, the senior official informed the New York Times that the president didn't actually board the older aircraft.
Instead, they revealed, Trump was conveyed via a food cart, adapted to fit the undercarriage of the plane, to a third aircraft, which he secretly boarded for his journey to the UK.
Official Statements and Background
This top-secret manoeuvre was previously reported by the Washington Post, but a White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, had previously hinted at a potential threat against the president during his departure from Turkey.
"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 - including distraction and misdirection - to address those threats," Cheung stated at the time.
Iranian Threat and Escalation
The White House's readiness to mislead the press regarding Trump's departure indicates they considered the Iranian threat genuine. During the same week, Israel provided intelligence to the US, alerting them to a fresh Iranian scheme to assassinate Donald Trump.
Simultaneously, the extremely delicate ceasefire between the US and Iran had started to collapse, with both nations launching attacks once more.
Trump has discussed candidly being a principal target for Iran, while maintaining there would be repercussions if they attempted it. Several days following his return from the NATO summit, he informed reporters he was "number one on the kill list for Iran."
"1000 Missiles are Locked and Loaded and aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran, with thousands of more to immediately follow, should the Iranian Government act on its threat, pronounced in many corners of the Globe, to assassinate, or attempt to assassinate, the sitting President of the United States of America, in this case, ME!" Trump posted on Truth Social.
"Orders have already been given, and the U.S. Military is ready, willing, and able, for a one-year period of time, subject to extension, to completely decimate and destroy all areas of Iran - PRAISE BE TO ALLAH!"
