[Anchor]
It has been reported that on his way back from an overseas trip last month, US President Donald Trump carried out a decoy operation by switching to a military aircraft to evade an assassination threat from Iran. The reporters aboard his original plane were unknowingly left to act as potential bait for a terror attack.
Reporter Kim Young-a has the details.
[Reporter]
On July 9, following the NATO summit, President Trump boarded an older presidential aircraft in Turkey to head home.
However, for some reason, he landed at a British Royal Air Force base and switched to a new presidential aircraft.
When showered with questions about whether it was due to a security threat, Trump brushed it off casually.
[Reporter: Any security concerns?]
[Donald Trump / US President: Not at all. What is there to be concerned about?]
However, the truth of that day revealed by The Washington Post was different.
Five minutes after Trump boarded the older Air Force One in Turkey, a catering truck approached the rear left side of Air Force One, while a C-32A military aircraft could be seen waiting with its boarding stairs open on the rear right side.
One minute later, the truck moved away from Air Force One and headed toward the back of the military aircraft.
The Washington Post reported that President Trump slipped out through the opposite door of the presidential aircraft into this catering truck and then transferred to the military aircraft.
For the flawless decoy escape, Trump secretly entered the container of the catering truck raised up to the passenger door, while reporters were instructed to pull down their window shades.
[Reporter: Do you know why we were told to pull down the window shades like never before?]
[Donald Trump / US President: Nobody told me to pull down the shades.]
He flew to the UK on the military aircraft, hurriedly reboarded the older presidential aircraft there, and then transferred to the new plane once again.
In the end, the reporters who remained aboard the presidential aircraft without Trump effectively became bait to deceive Iran.
Having completely fooled the press, Trump told the journalists remaining on the presidential aircraft:
[Donald Trump / US President: If I die, you die too.]
(Video Editing: Lee Seung-yul)
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