Trump vows to jail leaker who revealed missing airman story in Iran
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An investigation is ongoing to determine who leaked to the press that one of two American airmen was still missing after a warplane was shot down in Iran on Good Friday, a White House official told Fox News Digital.
At a news conference Monday afternoon focused on the successful rescue mission, President Donald Trump said his administration was working “very hard” to identify the leaker, which put the missing pilot at greater risk.
“We think we can find it because we’re going to go to the media company that published it and say, ‘national security, give up or go to jail,'” Trump said.
“When they did this, suddenly the entire country of Iran realized that somewhere on their soil there was a pilot struggling to survive. It also made it much harder for the pilots and the people who went looking for it.“
TRUMP DESCRIBED RESCUE OF DOWN AIR FORCE PILOT AS ‘MIRACLE OF THE EASTERN’
President Donald Trump gestures after speaking about the Iran war in Cross Hall of the White House, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (Alex Brandon/Pool/AP)
However, another Israeli N12 News reporter, Barak Ravid, wrote an article for Axios that was published hours before Segal’s X post, sharing that one pilot had been rescued while the other was still missing. Ravid cited his sources as “an Israeli official and a second knowledgeable source.”
“An American warplane was shot down by Iranian fire. According to a source with knowledge of the details, searches are ongoing to locate the two crew members. Read my article here: @axios,” Ravid shared a post on X.
HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopters participated in the rescue efforts of the downed airman in Iran. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Deanna Muir)
New York Post reported Shortly after Ravid published his story on X, Segal posted on his Telegram channel, “Search operation in Iran – for two American crew members.”
While Segal shared on his Telegram channel on Monday that he was the first to report the news of the missing airman, he backtracked in his statement to the New York Post.
“I’m not sure I’m the first,” Segal said. “Whatever, I’ll protect my resources.”
Mauro compares Iran’s recovery of missing colonel to MADURO’s capture, CREDITS INTELLIGENCE PREPARATION
CBS News, Washington Post And Reuters They reported the missing airman hours later but cited US officials as the source.
Trump called the “leaker” a “sick person” and claimed they would face prison time.
An image of the wreckage and remains of the F-15 fighter jet shot down in Iran on April 05, 2026 is seen. (Islamic Revolutionary Guard/Anatolia via Getty Images)
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““They put that mission at great risk,” Trump said. “They put that man at great risk and put hundreds of people who went looking for him because now everybody knows we’re in.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to CBS News, Washington Post, Reuters and Israel’s Channel 12 for comment. Axios declined to comment at this time.
