United States President Donald Trump abruptly changed the presidential plane he was traveling on after the NATO summit in Ankara in early June due to a possible threat from Iran, The New York Times reported, citing anonymous sources.
According to the American newspaper, Trump had arrived in the Turkish capital on a Boeing 747-8, an aircraft donated by Qatar, which was not yet equipped with the advanced defense systems that the old presidential plane, Air Force One, possesses.
Sources said the threat was identified while Trump was at the NATO summit. After a warning from the US Secret Service, he decided not to return on the new plane.
However, Trump publicly stated that the change to the plane was made to give American soldiers stationed in the UK the opportunity to see the new presidential plane up close.
He left Turkey on the old Air Force One plane, and after arriving in the United Kingdom, he boarded the new plane again to continue his journey to Washington.
The New York Times reported earlier this month that US officials have raised doubts about the defensive capabilities of the aircraft donated by Qatar.
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After the publication of this information, American authorities launched an investigation into its leak, requesting the testimony of several journalists before a grand jury and asking them, as well as their families, to hand over their phone call records.
Last weekend, Trump acknowledged that the new plane does not yet have some of the defense systems that older Air Force One models have, including missile defense.
He stressed that the plane donated by Qatar will soon be "fully equipped" with all the necessary security systems.
