WASHINGTON: Three civilian aircraft reportedly violated the airspace above US President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, prompting the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to scramble F-16 fighter jets, according to the Daily Mail.
The fighter jets deployed flares and escorted the planes out of the restricted airspace, the report said. It remains unclear why the aircraft entered Palm Beach airspace, though similar incidents have occurred in recent weeks.
According to Palm Beach Post, three airspace violations took place during Trump’s visit to Mar-a-Lago in February. Two violations occurred on February 15, while another took place on Presidents Day, February 17. There were also reports of F-16s responding to airspace breaches over Wellington, an inland community, and another civilian aircraft flying into Palm Beach on February 18.
NORAD, in its response, stated that the flares used during such incidents are “employed with the highest regard for safety, burn out quickly and completely, and pose no danger to people on the ground.”
Meanwhile, Irish Star reported that Trump arrived at Mar-a-Lago after the fighter jets had dealt with the airspace violations.
In a separate development, Trump claimed that boxes of classified documents seized from his Mar-a-Lago residence during a 2022 FBI investigation had been returned to him. According to AFP, Trump suggested that these documents, which were at the center of an inquiry into his handling of government records, could be displayed in his future presidential library.
“The department just returned the boxes that Deranged Jack Smith made such a big deal about,” Trump posted on Truth Social, referring to Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led the case.
“They are being brought down to Florida and will someday be part of the Trump Presidential Library,” he added.
The Justice Department has not confirmed Trump’s claim regarding the return of the documents.
