US President Donald Trump secretly left Turkey on a smaller military plane after the NATO summit last month due to the Iranian threat, US media reported, quoted by DPA.
Trump was filmed boarding the presidential Boeing 747 in Ankara, but was subsequently transferred unnoticed to an airport service vehicle that took him to a US Air Force C-32A aircraft, the "Washington Post" reported, citing a US official familiar with the operation.
The smaller plane took Trump to the UK, while White House officials and journalists remained aboard the larger plane, apparently without know the president is no longer there.
"The New York Times" also reported the deception operation, citing a U.S. official.
The operation was designed to create the impression that Trump was traveling on Air Force One the entire time.
The White House did not comment directly on the information. Communications Director Stephen Chung said that Trump was being targeted by "many enemies of America" and that all available means were being used to counter the threats.
During the summit, Trump said he was "number one" on Iran's hit list.