President Donald Trump’s decision to depart Turkey on an older plane while sending his new, Qatari-gifted jet ahead to England was driven at least in part by security concerns around the escalating conflict in Iran, according to four US officials.
Security Concerns
Two of the officials said security personnel felt more comfortable with the president aboard the older vessel — which was built from scratch with the commander-in-chief’s safety in mind — rather than the plane that had recently been retrofitted after it was donated by Qatar.
The specific reason why the older plane was considered a safer option than the newer one was not immediately clear. Two sources familiar with the matter said the newer plane did not possess the same capabilities to ensure its safety in international settings, though a third said it was equipped with many of the same features as the older plane.
Before Trump left the NATO summit in Turkey, officials sent the Qatari-gifted jet ahead to England’s Mildenhall Air Force Base. Trump said in a post on social media that the change in planes was simply to give US service members stationed at the base “a chance to tour the Aircraft.”
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
