President Trump was part of a particularly elaborate deception last month, boarding one jet before being spirited away to another.

Donald Trump departed on a secret military flight from Turkey to Britain last month when the White House said he was flying aboard Air Force One, in an extraordinary ruse – prompted by an Iranian assassination threat – that involved hiding the president in an airport catering container, according to reporting from the Washington Post and the New York Times. The operation took place when Trump was in Ankara for a Nato summit with world leaders, according to the Post. The president reportedly boarded the old Air Force One jumbo jet in view of television cameras, and then was secretly shuttled minutes later to a smaller plane via an airport catering truck typically used to load meals and other supplies preflight, a US official told the Post. An official also confirmed the operation to the New York Times.

Trump’s actual location was concealed from journalists and some White House staff. A US official told the Post that a credible threat to Trump involving Iran set the "deception operation" in motion. The administration previously claimed that Trump left Turkey on 8 July on the former Air Force One. The trip took place as hostilities escalated with Iran. A similar operation took place in 2000, when Bill Clinton used an unmarked executive jet to fly into Pakistan while sending his formal Air Force One as decoy.

The White House provided a statement from Steve Cheung, the communications director, saying the Qatari-donated jet has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the president and his staff.