The scene of President Trump boarding Air Force One after last month’s NATO summit in Turkey is one that TV cameras and photographers have captured countless times.

What happened in the moments after that was far from routine, according to exclusive reporting from the Washington Post.

The Post reports that Trump was shuttled in an airport catering truck to a smaller military plane in which he then secretly departed, even as the White House announced he was flying aboard Air Force One.

The operation was prompted by an Iranian assassination threat, a U.S. official familiar with the operation told the Post.

We should note that NPR has not independently confirmed this reporting.

New information about how the White House handled the president’s security is raising questions about safety and transparency.

This episode was produced by Elena Burnett and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro and Ted Mebane. Our director is Kai McNamee.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning who also edited today’s episode along with Janaya Williams.

For tickets to a live taping of Sources & Methods, NPR’s national security podcast, visit this link: npr.org/sourcesliveshow.

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The elaborate ruse used to conceal Trump's whereabouts

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The elaborate ruse used to conceal Trump's whereabouts