President Donald Trump was quietly evacuated from Turkey on a separate aircraft while members of his cabinet remained on the original plane, according to BBC reporting.
The secret flight switch took place amid what The Guardian described as a severe assassination threat from Iran. BBC reports that cabinet members stayed on the decoy plane after the president's quiet exit, though the outlet did not specify the exact timing or location of the switch.
The New York Times characterized the original Air Force One as a "flying decoy" that remained imperiled while Trump was secretly evacuated. The Washington Post noted that the secret flight from Turkey contradicted public statements made at the time, though the specific nature of those statements was not detailed in the reporting.
The Financial Times reported that a top US Democrat has demanded a briefing on the secret mission to extract Trump from Turkey. The lawmaker's name and party position were not included in the available material.
The reports collectively indicate that the evacuation was conducted quietly, with the president's departure from Turkey kept out of public view. The Guardian's assessment ties the severity of the Iranian threat directly to the decision to use a separate aircraft for Trump's exit.
The use of a decoy plane is a standard security measure in high-risk situations, but the confirmation that cabinet members remained aboard the original aircraft suggests the threat was considered credible enough to warrant a split in travel arrangements.
What to watch next: Whether the Democratic lawmaker's requested briefing produces new details about the threat assessment and the decision-making behind the secret evacuation.
