US jets intercept civilian plane near Biden's residence

An unspecified civilian aircraft violated restricted airspace north of Wilmington, Delaware, near the residence of US President Joe Biden on Saturday, the US Secret Service has said.

“As a precaution, assets were scrambled to intercept and the civilian aircraft safely landed at a nearby airport,” the Secret Service chief of communications, Anthony Guglielmi, said in a statement.

The incident took place shortly after 2pm on Saturday while President Biden was at his Wilmington home, but according to security officials, there were “no impacts to the protectee’s movements.”

Nevertheless, the Secret Service launched a probe into the incident, in coordination with the Federal Aviation Administration.

In June, US Air Force F-16 fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a rogue private aircraft that flew over Washington, DC and crashed into the mountains in Virginia. The incident was reportedly caused by a sudden loss of cabin pressurization, which incapacitated the flight crew members.