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Questions mount over security of Trump’s Qatar-donated Air Force One
The plane switch was made so US troops could tour the Qatar-donated Boeing 747-8, after US media said the jet lacked the older craft’s anti-missile countermeasures.
President Donald Trump is facing security questions over a newly refurbished Air Force One plane, a Boeing 747-8 that was gifted by Qatar, after he initially flew a different, older jet back from a NATO summit, according to SCMP Economy citing reporting from other US outlets.
The change came when Trump said he was sending the new luxury aircraft on ahead to a British airbase so US troops could tour it, with US media reporting the Secret Service advised the switch. The New York Times reported that the newer plane lacked security countermeasures the older jet had, including anti-missile defenses.
SCMP Economy also pointed to heightened tensions with Iran, which borders Turkey, as speculation grew, and it noted that journalists on the old plane were told to keep window blinds down, a step typically reserved for war zones. Trump denied any security concerns.
After switching back to the Qatar-donated plane for the flight from the UK to Washington, SCMP Economy said Trump referred to alleged Iranian assassination attempts, as additional scrutiny followed the unusual aircraft movements and security posture.