Trump says security threat prompted aircraft switch in Turkey

Washington (ANTARA) - US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he secretly left Air Force One and flew out of Turkey on another plane last month due to a security threat. “I followed the directions of the Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to take a different flight, a different plane,” Trump told reporters after a visit to Ohio. “I just had to do what they said.” “There seemed to be a threat. I didn’t ask too many questions about it,” he said. “I receive threats often.” Trump, who was in Turkey to attend the NATO Summit, boarded Air Force One in front of cameras before disembarking via a catering truck and transferring to a smaller US Air Force plane nearby, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. According to the report, Air Force One subsequently departed the country carrying senior officials, staff, and journalists who were unaware that Trump was no longer on board.