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F-15 airman's 3-word message after Iran shootdown made US fear ‘false signals’ trap
“What he said on the radio sounded like something a Muslim would say,” Donald Trump said, adding that officials feared the airman may have been captured.
US President Donald Trump has reportedly revealed that a brief radio message from a stranded F-15 fighter jet crew member initially raised alarm within the US military, with fears it could be part of an Iranian trap.
Speaking to US-based news outlet Axios, Trump said Washington had “beeping information” about the officer’s location after the jet went down. But the situation quickly grew uncertain when the airman transmitted a short, unusual message over the radio – "Power be to God."
“What he said on the radio sounded like something a Muslim would say,” he said, adding that officials briefly feared the officer may have been captured and that Iran could be “sending false signals” to lure US forces. Track US Iran war live updates.
A US defence official confirmed the President's account but clarified that the exact phrase used was “God is good,” the Axios report added. Notably, secretary of war Pete Hegseth has also used the same phrase in a post on X earlier on Sunday, however, the reference was unclear at the time.
Doubts cleared after verification
The report further said that those concerns were eased after further checks. According to Trump, people who knew the officer described him as deeply religious, making the message consistent with his personal beliefs.
The defence official backed that assessment. “It was not completely clear early on, but we stuck with it and verified he was alive and not captured. And those who knew him said he was religious,” the official told the news outlet.
Airman survived over 24 hours in Iran
The downed crew member, identified as a weapons systems officer by multiple US news outlets, survived for more than 24 hours in mountainous terrain despite being wounded, according to Axios. He managed to evade capture during that time.
Trump said the aircraft had been shot down by Iranian forces using a shoulder-fired missile. “They got lucky,” he added.
Tehran, meanwhile, claimed earlier in the week that it had downed an F-15. Washington has not confirmed the exact circumstances of the incident.
High-risk rescue mission inside Iran
US special operations forces were eventually deployed deep into Iranian territory to extract the stranded airman, multiple US news outlets reported.
Trump described the mission as extraordinary, saying the military had “pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in US history” and confirmed the officer was now “safe and sound”
According to a report by The New York Times, Navy SEAL Team 6 commandos led the rescue effort, while US attack aircraft carried out strikes on Iranian convoys to keep them at bay.
The operation concluded with the successful recovery of the officer.
