The aircraft, a single-engine plane, was reported to be circling around Washington after taking off from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
By MICHAEL BALSAMO and ZEKE MILLER - Associated Press WASHINGTON — The U.S. Capitol was briefly evacuated Wednesday evening after police identified an aircraft that they said posed"a probable threat” — but the plane was actually carrying members of the U.S. Army Golden Knights, who then parachuted into Nationals Park for a pregame demonstration.
The incident suggested a stunning communications failure between the military and the Capitol Police, all the more remarkable because of Washington’s focus on improving security since the January 6, 2021, attack on the building by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. People are also reading… In Wednesday's incident, the aircraft, a twin-engine plane, took off from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland and had been circling inside heavily restricted airspace close to the Capitol when the alert was sent. Radar tracking data shows the plane, a De Havilland Twin Otter, remained clear of the prohibited airspace over the Capitol Building and other government complexes at all times.
The capital region is defended by several surface-to-air missile sites, as well as military aircrews on round-the-clock alert. It did not appear that any of those systems were scrambled.
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