Trump threatens to jail journalists in attempt to find 'leaker' who put Iran rescue mission at 'great risk'

Donald Trump has threatened journalists with prison for reporting that a crew member in a downed US fighter was missing.

US special forces were scrambled on a search and rescue mission after the F-15E fighter jet was down over Iran on April 3, with Iran offering a reward to anyone who could locate the missing crew member.

One pilot was rescued within hours, while the second was found two days later on April 5.

Iran has claimed responsibility for shooting down the jet, while Trump has also acknowledged that it was shot down by Iran, calling it a 'lucky' hit by Iranian air defence.

Now, Trump has issued a threat to an unnamed news outlet which first reported that the second crew member of the jet was missing.

The US president said that he is now pursuing those who leaked information about the second crew member.

An F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran (wellsie82/Getty)

To do this, Trump indicated that he will put pressure on the journalists who reported the story into giving up their source, citing 'national security'.

He said: “We think we’ll be able to find it out. Because we’re going to go to the media company that released it, and we’re going to say, ‘National security. Give it up or go to jail.’”

NBC News has reported that the White House declined to name the news organization involved, saying that they didn't want to alert them.

Trump added: “They basically said that we have one and there’s somebody missing."

He explained that the media were not aware that someone was missing until someone leaked it.

“I think anybody would understand that they put that [rescue] mission in great risk,” Trump said.

There is precedent in the US for reporters going to prison after refusing to reveal their sources.

Trump has said that he intends to find the person who leaked that the second crew member was missing (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)

In 2005 Judith Miller, who worked for the New York Times at the time, was given a jail sentence after refusing to disclose her source for an investigation into the person responsible for leaking the identity of Valerie Plame as a covert officer for the CIA in 2003.

Some states, as well as Washington, do have 'shield laws' which are intended to protect journalistic source, but there is not currently a federal law in place for this purpose, and governments do have the power to compel journalists to reveal sources in cases where it is deemed there's a national security interest.

Trump's threat has been condemned by Jameel Jaffer, the executive director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.

Jaffer told NBC: "President Trump’s threat to force journalists to disclose their sources raises serious press freedom concerns because journalists’ ability to do their work turns in part on their ability to protect their sources’ identities.

"President Trump’s threat should be understood as an effort to intimidate the press and to prevent journalists from doing work the public needs them to do.”