President Donald Trump has confirmed that he was secretly moved to a different aircraft after leaving a NATO summit in Turkey last month because U.S. authorities had identified a possible threat.
Trump told reporters Tuesday that the Secret Service and military officials instructed him to change planes, saying he followed their security recommendations.
“I just have to do what they say,” Trump said.
The confirmation follows reports that Trump initially boarded Air Force One in view of television cameras on July 8 before being transferred to a military aircraft in a covert operation that involved a catering truck.
U.S. officials told CBS News, the BBC’s U.S. partner, that authorities had detected a credible Iranian threat to fire a missile at the aircraft carrying the president.
Trump said the military aircraft he ultimately boarded was at greater risk, raising questions about whether those who remained on the decoy aircraft were exposed to the threat.
Journalists and some White House staff travelling with the president were reportedly unaware that Trump had been moved as part of the security operation.
The incident highlights the security measures used to protect the president amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran.
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