(Screengrab via X)
U.S. intelligence officials concluded that intelligence pointing to a possible Iranian attempt to assassinate President Donald Trump in July was not evidence of a serious or immediate threat before the president was secretly pulled off Air Force One and onto another military aircraft, according to a new report.
The extraordinary security operation saw Trump covertly removed from Air Force One aboard a catering truck in Turkey following the NATO summit.
Sources familiar with the matter told ABC News that the initial warning originated with Israel and suggested Iran could target Air Force One with a shoulder-fired missile as Trump prepared to leave.
Israeli officials passed the information to Washington despite not having enough time to fully review it or determine its credibility because of the president’s imminent departure, according to the report.
U.S. intelligence agencies, however, subsequently raised doubts about the warning and ultimately assessed that it did not point to a serious or immediate threat, the sources revealed to the network.
The Secret Service nevertheless determined that the potential consequences were too significant to disregard and recommended additional precautions.
Trump was transported in a catering vehicle to a military aircraft. At the same time, Air Force One departed separately with the oblivious traveling press corps and Trump staffers on board as part of the elaborate security operation.
Trump has faced longstanding threats from Iran since ordering the 2020 strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani during his first administration.
U.S. and Turkish authorities continued investigating after Trump left but found no evidence of an operational missile plot, according to another official.
The post US Intel Cast Doubt on Iran Assassination Threat Before Trump’s Top-Secret Plane Swap: Report first appeared on Mediaite.
