Olusegun Ariyo
US military on Sunday said it detected and “escorted out” a civilian aircraft that violated a temporary flight restriction (TFR) near President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
This was disclosed in a statement released on Sunday by the North American Aerospace Defense Command, NORAD.
NORAD announced that its F-16 fighter aircraft responded to “a general aviation aircraft” flying above Palm Beach, Florida.
Fox News reports that NORAD, which is a US military alliance with Canada, said that the civilian aircraft violated the TFR at approximately 1:15 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
However, NORAD stated that the aircraft was safely escorted out of the area by its aircraft.
According to the statement, NORAD aircraft had dispensed flares at the time, which may have been visible to civilians.
NORAD Commander Gen. Gregory Guillot stated the agency works closely with the FAA to keep the skies over America safe, with close attention paid to areas with Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR).
NORAD said it has responded to “over 20 tracks of interest” entering the TFR area of Palm Beach, since Trump was inaugurated on January 20.
