The US F-15 fighter jet's second crew member, the weapons systems officer, who ejected over Iran, has been rescued after the fighter jet was shot down over Iran, Axios reported.
On Friday, his fighter jet was shot down over a remote part of Iran, trapping him behind enemy lines. While ejecting from the plane, the airman radioed three words that caught President Donald Trump's attention.
Donald Trump has called the unidentified airman a "brave warrior" in a Truth Social post.
The airman's words while ejecting
The second crew member of the F-15 flight remained missing for nearly 48 hours while hiding in a mountain crevice with nothing but a handgun to protect himself, the Daily Mail reported.
Trump claimed in an interview with Axios that the crew member had sent a strange message that raised suspicions after he ejected from the fighter jet. According to Trump, the pilot relayed the phrase “Power to be God” on his radio.
{{/usCountry}}Trump claimed in an interview with Axios that the crew member had sent a strange message that raised suspicions after he ejected from the fighter jet. According to Trump, the pilot relayed the phrase “Power to be God” on his radio.
{{/usCountry}}Trump told Axios that the phrase sounded like “something a Muslim would say.”
He went on to say that US officials thought the airman might have been taken prisoner by Iran and that they were "sending false signals" to set up a trap.
The president's version was confirmed by a US defense official who talked with Axios; the crew member's precise words were "God is good."
The F-15 aiman and the weapons systems officer communicated the words via their communications systems following Friday's ejection, according to two sources
During the interview, Trump pointed out that other military people who knew the crew member also stated that he was a devout person and that it would have made sense for him to say that.
Read more: Live updates on the US-Iran war
Rescue operation details emerge
A few hours after the F-15 jet was shot down in Iran, the first pilot was saved. Iran also hit an American Blackhawk helicopter during the rescue effort, injuring crew members, but the aircraft managed to continue flying and landed in the right place.
According to US officials cited by Axios, the weapons system officer successfully ejected from the aircraft and was located during a high-risk rescue mission conducted in contested territory.
According to Axios, the CIA started a disinformation effort by telling Iranians that American forces had already located the weapons system officer and were conducting a ground exfiltration.
A CIA official told Axios, “This was the ultimate needle in a haystack but in this case it was a brave American soul inside a mountain crevice, invisible but for the CIA's capabilities.”
The official claimed that President Trump authorized an emergency rescue operation when the CIA provided the Pentagon, the US military, and the White House with his exact position.