Donald Trump has expressed his determination to hunt down the individual responsible for leaking sensitive information about a missing U.S. airman after a fighter jet was downed over Iran. During a briefing on Monday, the former President criticized the unnamed media outlet that reported the leak, threatening legal action if they refuse to disclose their source. “We’re going to confront the media company that released it,” Trump stated, “and demand that, for national security reasons, they reveal their source or face imprisonment.” The incident in question involves two airmen who went missing when their F-15E fighter jet was shot down on Good Friday. While the pilot was quickly rescued, the jet’s weapons system operator remained unaccounted for until Sunday.

The story gained traction when an Israeli news outlet reported on Friday that the second airman was still missing, a claim that soon echoed across U.S. media. Trump argued that these reports tipped off Iranian authorities to the ongoing classified search operation, endangering American lives. “They were unaware of a missing airman until this leak occurred,” Trump remarked. “Suddenly, all of Iran knew that an American pilot was somewhere on their land, struggling for survival.” He further emphasized the urgency, stating, “We have to find that leaker because that’s a sick individual.”

Following these developments, a White House official confirmed to the Daily Mail that an investigation is active. The initial news of the rescued pilot seems to have first surfaced on X, posted by Amit Segal, an Israeli journalist with Channel 12 based in Tel Aviv. “Western source: One of the American crew members was successfully rescued,” Segal tweeted on Friday morning. When questioned by the New York Post, Segal remarked, “I’m not sure I was the first, but regardless — I will protect my sources.” This international angle, highlighted by Tommy Vietor, a former spokesman for Barack Obama, could present challenges to Trump’s pursuit of the leaker.

‘Does that mean Trump is going to prosecute Israeli journalists or media execs, including ones close to Netanyahu?’ Vietor posted on X. ‘What if the source was Netanyahu himself or his team?’ The initial report was quickly followed by confirmations from Axios, CBS News and Reuters. The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment about which outlet and reporter will be targeted for jail time. The WSO spent nearly 48 hours in Iran, the majority of them on the ground evading Iranian hunting parties who were offered bounties for the airman’s capture. The unnamed service member, who alongside the pilot flew under the call sign ‘Dude 44,’ landed far away from his crew member and was injured early on after ejecting from the F-15E.

Neither the US military nor intelligence agencies were able to get ahold of the WSO for a long period of time, whereas the F-15E pilot was rescued by special operations commandos within a few hours. Eventually the WSO radioed in ‘God is good,’ and US forces began tracking and planning for his extraction. Trump on Monday described an all-hands-on-deck operation that employed 155 aircraft – including 64 fighter jets, 48 refueling tankers, 13 rescue aircraft, three helicopters ‘and more.’

Trump lauded ‘a breathtaking show of skill and precision, lethality and force’ as US forces swooped on mountainous terrain in southern Iran to rescue the weapons systems officer whose F-15E fighter jet went down on Good Friday. ‘He scaled cliff faces, bleeding rather profusely, contacted his platoon, treated his own wounds and contacted American forces,’ Trump said of the officer, who was rescued on Easter Sunday. ‘God was watching us,’ the President said of the successful, odds-defying operation.