F-16 intercepts plane near resort hosting Obama’s golf weekend

Palm City, FL, United States (4E) – An F-16 fighter jet has intercepted a small plane that intruded in a temporary no-fly zone near Palm City as part of the security measure for President Barak Obama, who is vacationing in the area’s Treasure Coast.

The F-16 dispatched by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) around 9:30 EST Sunday escorted the Cessna plane to Okeechobee Airport, where its pilot was to be questioned by waiting local authorities.

The plane was the third one to breach the temporarily restricted airspace set up by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) near Palm City, where Obama is spending President’s Day weekend playing golf with friends at the secluded Floridian yacht and golf club.

On Saturday, two small planes were intercepted in the no-fly zone. An F-16 and a Coast Guard helicopter escorted a Cessna 152 plane away from the zone around noon, according to Army Lt. Col. Mike Humphreys. The F-16 led the plane to Witham Field in nearby Stuart. FAA and Secret Service is investigating the flight violation.

Also on Saturday, F-16s escorted away a Lance Air 320 around 5 p.m. and the small plane proceeded to its destination, the NORAD said.

Obama arrived at the Palm Beach International Airport aboard Air Force One on Friday night. He was taken to the Floridian by motorcade before 9 p.m. His vacation ends Sunday.

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