surv1
Active member
- Joined
- Dec 24, 2001
- Posts
- 31
Here's the story:
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Parts of the White House, Capitol and Supreme Court were briefly evacuated Wednesday when a small plane violated restricted airspace over Washington, the White House said.
Fighter jets and a Black Hawk helicopter were scrambled to intercept a high-wing Cessna, said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
President Bush was not at the White House at the time. Vice President Dick Cheney was in the West Wing of the building when the alert was issued and was moved to a secure location, McClellan said.
The plane was within three miles of the White House before it was turned away by the military aircraft, McClellan said.
The terror alert level was raised to orange -- or high -- when the airspace incursion was first reported, and then raised to red -- severe -- when the pilot failed to respond to calls on his radio, McClellan said.
The plane was escorted to a small airport in Frederick, Maryland. The pilot was being interviewed by local authorities and the Secret Service, McClellan said.
An all-clear announcement was issued about 15 minutes after the evacuation alert.
People streamed out of the White House after being told to evacuate.
"Run, this is no joke, leave the grounds," a U.S. Secret Service agent told CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux.
Former CNN anchor Bernard Shaw said he saw two F-16 jets circle a single-engine airplane and fire warning flares. The jets, which scrambled from nearby Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, then seemed to direct the small aircraft away from downtown Washington, Shaw said.
A Black Hawk helicopter joined the F-16s to escort the plane to a landing site.
Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, told The Associated Press he was on the Senate floor when police told him to evacuate. "They said, 'Get out of here.' So I ran. There's no joking about this kind of stuff," Shelby said.
On the House floor, Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, said, "There was so much commotion in the gallery," AP reported. "People were yelling in the gallery. We thought something had happened in the gallery, and then the alarm came to evacuate."
Across the street from the Capitol, at least four justices in the Supreme Court building were evacuated along with other staff.
Malveaux said a motorcade of six or seven cars left the White House during the evacuation. The motorcade returned about 15 minutes later.
At the time of the incident, Bush was on a bike ride with a security detail in Maryland, officials said.
A handcuffed man, wearing shorts and a short-sleeve shirt was led into a police car on the runway after his plane was forced to land. The Cessna 152 is registered to the Vintage Aero Club in Smoketown, Pennsylvania.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Parts of the White House, Capitol and Supreme Court were briefly evacuated Wednesday when a small plane violated restricted airspace over Washington, the White House said.
Fighter jets and a Black Hawk helicopter were scrambled to intercept a high-wing Cessna, said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
President Bush was not at the White House at the time. Vice President Dick Cheney was in the West Wing of the building when the alert was issued and was moved to a secure location, McClellan said.
The plane was within three miles of the White House before it was turned away by the military aircraft, McClellan said.
The terror alert level was raised to orange -- or high -- when the airspace incursion was first reported, and then raised to red -- severe -- when the pilot failed to respond to calls on his radio, McClellan said.
The plane was escorted to a small airport in Frederick, Maryland. The pilot was being interviewed by local authorities and the Secret Service, McClellan said.
An all-clear announcement was issued about 15 minutes after the evacuation alert.
People streamed out of the White House after being told to evacuate.
"Run, this is no joke, leave the grounds," a U.S. Secret Service agent told CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux.
Former CNN anchor Bernard Shaw said he saw two F-16 jets circle a single-engine airplane and fire warning flares. The jets, which scrambled from nearby Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, then seemed to direct the small aircraft away from downtown Washington, Shaw said.
A Black Hawk helicopter joined the F-16s to escort the plane to a landing site.
Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, told The Associated Press he was on the Senate floor when police told him to evacuate. "They said, 'Get out of here.' So I ran. There's no joking about this kind of stuff," Shelby said.
On the House floor, Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, said, "There was so much commotion in the gallery," AP reported. "People were yelling in the gallery. We thought something had happened in the gallery, and then the alarm came to evacuate."
Across the street from the Capitol, at least four justices in the Supreme Court building were evacuated along with other staff.
Malveaux said a motorcade of six or seven cars left the White House during the evacuation. The motorcade returned about 15 minutes later.
At the time of the incident, Bush was on a bike ride with a security detail in Maryland, officials said.
A handcuffed man, wearing shorts and a short-sleeve shirt was led into a police car on the runway after his plane was forced to land. The Cessna 152 is registered to the Vintage Aero Club in Smoketown, Pennsylvania.
