Two in Custody After Capitol Plane Scare
By EILEEN PUTMAN, Associated Press Writer 29 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Capitol and White House were evacuated Wednesday after a small plane entered restricted airspace and came within three miles of the executive mansion. Military jets scrambled to intercept the aircraft and fired warning flares.
ADVERTISEMENT
Two men in the aircraft were later taken into custody at a Maryland airport where the plane landed after a military escort, said Capitol Police Chief Terrance W. Gainer.
"This appears to be errant pilots," he said. He said officials were concerned because the plane appeared to be "on a straight-in shot toward the center of the Washington area."
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the plane came within three miles of the White House.
President Bush was not there at the time.
Security officials in several other government buildings, including the
Treasury Department and the
U.S. Supreme Court, ordered people to safer locations.
Bush was biking at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Beltsville, Md., McClellan said. Vice President
Dick Cheney, in the White House, was moved to a "secure location" elsewhere, McClellan said.
First lady Laura Bush and former first lady Nancy Reagan, who is staying at the White House for a special event at the Reagan building, were moved to a secure location.
Congressional leaders were hustled from the Capitol by armed officers. The threat level at the White House was raised to red — the highest — for eight minutes.
The incident began at 11:28 a.m., when
Federal Aviation Administration radar picked up the aircraft, a small two-seater Cessna 150 with high wings. The aircraft breached the security zone over Washington, prompting alerts across the city.
Gainer said the first alert went out when the plane was 21 miles — 17 minutes — from the city.
Two Black Hawk helicopters were dispatched at 11:55 a.m. from Reagan National Airport, according to an
FAA official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The plane was also approached by two F-16 fighter aircraft, scrambled from Andrews Air Force Base. They fired four warning flares. The military aircraft escorted the plane to the Frederick Municipal Airport in Frederick, Md.
The two unidentified men were being held by Maryland state police at the airport in Frederick. Secret Service and other law enforcement authorities interviewed the pilot, McClellan said.
The plane was registered to Vintage Aero Club, a group of about 10 people who fly from Smoketown Airport in Pennsylvania's Lancaster County, said club member Merv King. He said he did not know who was flying it Wednesday but provided police a list of club members.
"It was not on our scheduled booking, so I have no clue," said King.
The incident sparked a flurry of emergency activity throughout the capital, which was targeted on Sept. 11, 2001 and has been under a heightened state of alert since then.
Armed security officers raced through the Capitol shouting for people to leave. "This is not a drill," guards shouted as they moved people away from the building.
Sen. Richard Shelby (news, bio, voting record), R-Ala., was on the Senate floor when police told him they needed to evacuate. "They said get out of here, so I ran. There's no joking about this kind of stuff," Shelby said.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert was on the House floor talking to members when the evacuation siren went off. He left quickly with his security detail.
Large black armored SUVs often used by House and Senate leaders sped away from the Capitol as a military jet flew overhead. |
