Israel's Channel 12 has reported that an alleged plot to assassinate U.S. President Donald Trump was being prepared during his visit to Ankara for the NATO summit, the agency's correspondent reports.
According to the report, Israel recently warned U.S. authorities about what it described as Iranian intentions. Citing Channel 12, Lenta.ru reported that Western intelligence had identified Iranian assessments of the possibility of carrying out an assassination attempt on Turkish soil, a development that reportedly influenced the decision to change the aircraft used by the U.S. president.
Sources cited by the broadcaster said Iranian officials viewed Trump's visit as a unique opportunity.
Trump departed the NATO summit last Wednesday aboard the older Air Force One aircraft rather than the new jet gifted by Qatar. According to the sources, the decision was taken as a precautionary measure on the recommendation of the U.S. Secret Service, rather than in response to a specific or imminent threat.
The report also noted that Trump boarded the aircraft quickly before journalists had the opportunity to photograph him on the boarding stairs, a departure from the standard presidential protocol.
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