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Capitol and White House Evacuated
The nation's capital was given the green light Wednesday afternoon about one hour after a small airplane violated restricted airspace over the city, forcing the rapid evacuation of the White House, the U.S. Capitol Building (search) and the Supreme Court around noontime. Two F-16 military jets scrambled over to Washington from Andrews Air Force Base just outside the city in Maryland. The jet pilots met the plane, which came within four miles of the U.S. Capitol and three miles of the White House, and escorted it out of the Air Defense Identification Zone to Frederick, Md., about 50 minutes northwest of the city. The jets then returned to the air base.The Pentagon was not evacuated and the mood there was described as "business as usual." However, North American Aerospace Air Defense (search), which operates in part out of the Pentagon, coordinated with air and Homeland Security officials. Police in Washington shouted at lawmakers, staff members, media and tourists to run from the buildings. About 20 minutes later, the evacuations were cancelled. The pilot, who was said to have entered the restricted space then exited and re-entered before being warned out of the area with four flares, was ordered to touch down in Frederick. The plane, a small two-seat, high-wing Cessna 150, was apparently flying from Smoketown, Pa., near Lancaster, according to Homeland Security officials. The pilot is in custody and federal and Maryland state law enforcement officials were considering charges against him. President Bush was not at the White House at the time of the evacuation. He was taking part in a bike ride at Patuxent Wildlife Refuge outside the city. The president headed back to the White House after his motorcade was cleared for return. First lady Laura Bush and visiting guest Nancy Reagan, the former first lady, were at the White House and taken to a secure location there. Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-11 |
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