F-16s Scrambled As Civilian Aircraft Breach Trump's Mar-a-Lago Resort Airspace

Three civilian aircraft reportedly breached the airspace above US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, prompting the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to deploy F-16 fighter jets.

According to a report by the Daily Mail, the F-16 jets released flares, and the three civilian planes were escorted out of the restricted airspace.

Photo Credit: AP/PTI

As per the report, the airspace violations took place at 11:05 a.m., 12:10 p.m., and 12:50 p.m. It remains unclear why the three aircraft entered Palm Beach airspace, although similar incidents have been occurring frequently in recent weeks.

According to the local news outlet Palm Beach Post, three such violations occurred over the city during Trump's visit to Mar-a-Lago that month. Two incidents took place on 15 February, while another occurred on Presidents' Day, 17 February.

There were also reports of F-16 jets responding to airspace breaches over Wellington, an inland community. NORAD further reported another civilian aircraft flying into Palm Beach on 18 February. The fighter jets deployed flares, which are "employed with the highest regard for safety, burn out quickly and completely, and pose no danger to people on the ground."

According to a report by Irish Star, Trump arrived at his resort after the F-16 jets had directed the aircraft out of the restricted airspace.

Trump Claims Classified Documents Seized by FBI Have Been Returned

In a separate development, Trump stated that boxes of classified documents, which had been seized by the FBI from his Mar-a-Lago residence during an investigation into possible misconduct in 2022, had now been returned to him. He added that he intends to display them in his presidential library.

According to AFP, Trump claimed that the boxes, which contained "top secret documents" for which he had faced charges of improperly retaining after leaving the White House, were handed back by the Justice Department-now overseen by his own appointees.

"The department just returned the boxes that Deranged Jack Smith made such a big deal about," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, referring to the special counsel who had led the investigation into the documents.

"They are being brought down to Florida and will someday be part of the Trump Presidential Library," he added.