It had the makings of a spy thriller: an alleged Iranian threat, a shoulder-fired missile, a decoy Air Force One and a president slipping away from the cameras.

According to The New York Times, U.S. intelligence detected a specific surface-to-air missile threat against whichever aircraft was carrying President Donald Trump as he prepared to leave the NATO summit in Turkey on 8 July.

Someone near the summit had also reportedly been spotted with a shoulder-fired missile. More alarmingly, Iran allegedly knew where Trump was staying in Ankara, down to the floor of the building, the Times reported, citing two U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence.

The threat was considered credible enough to trigger an extraordinary escape plan.

Trump boarded an older Air Force One in full view of cameras, saying he was taking it “for old time’s sake.”

But it was a decoy.

Trump later slipped away, reportedly concealed in an airport catering container, before boarding a military jet that secretly flew him out of Turkey.