FBI Seeks Interviews on Security Concerns Over Qatari Jet Used as Air Force One

The FBI is seeking to speak with people who flew with President Trump to Turkey last week on the Qatari-gifted jet being used as Air Force One, The Independent reported. Investigators have tried to contact members of the Secret Service who accompanied the president on a trip to a NATO summit in Ankara, according to one person briefed on the probe.

Aboard that aircraft. The New York Times reported that Trump was forced to use the older model due to concerns raised by the Secret Service and that the Qatari-gifted Boeing 747-8 lacked the defensive capabilities of the older plane. Trump administration officials told The New York Times that the investigation is intended to identify anyone who shared information about the alleged security concerns.

FBI Director Kash Patel and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles are leading the investigation, The Independent reported. Two sources told The Times that officials at the agency instructed workers to refer outside requests to lawyers. President Trump claimed that he flew from Ankara in Turkey to the RAF Mildenhall base in the U.K.

Sources familiar with the president’s plans told The Times that Trump took the older model as a security precaution related to the recommencement of hostilities between the United States and Iran. Sources added that the Secret Service’s advice to swap planes did not come in the wake of a specific threat.

” As part of the FBI investigation, several reporters at The New York Times were served subpoenas on Friday.

The publication filed a motion to quash those subpoenas on Wednesday. The $400 million Qatari jet was donated to the U.S. in 2025. Unlike its predecessor, the aircraft is not painted in the light blue color long associated with the presidential plane and instead sports a navy-blue underside with bright red and gold stripes.