US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that "leakers should be shot," claiming he called off a strike on Iran after its timing was leaked to news outlets.
"Leakers should be, in my opinion, leakers should be shot. In the old days, we used to shoot leakers," he told a rally in Arizona.
Trump said B-2 stealth bombers were sent "to make sure that they don't have a nuclear weapon" and that "Iran was waiting" for them.
"Somebody leaked, some sleazebag. They ought to go to jail and be shot. For the rest of their life, they should be in jail," he said.
"They leaked that we were leaving at 12:07 from Missouri, and it was in the New York Times, CNN. They leaked the time we were leaving, the time we were arriving," Trump added.
Trump said that after two days, the raid went ahead at the same time.
"That was the only time that they didn't expect us," he said.
He described leakers as "the scum of the earth," adding they "should be dealt with very, very strongly."
